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Italy Launches Antitrust Investigations Into Swatch and Citizen

By  |  December 10, 2025

Italy’s antitrust regulator has opened two separate investigations into major global watchmakers Swatch and Citizen over alleged efforts to influence how much Italian retailers charge for their products, according to Yahoo.

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    The Italian Competition Authority is examining whether the companies limited competition by coordinating retail prices for watches sold online by authorized sellers such as jewelry shops and specialist retailers. The regulator is investigating Citizen Watch Italy and its parent company Citizen Watch, along with The Swatch Group (Italia) and Swiss-based parent The Swatch Group, per Yahoo.

    Officials are reviewing possible violations of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits anti-competitive agreements between companies. The case centers on accusations that both manufacturers may have pressured retailers in their selective distribution networks to stick to recommended prices instead of offering discounts.

    Citizen, which distributes brands including Citizen, Bulova, Vagary, Frédérique Constant and Alpina, is alleged to have directed sellers to follow specified pricing and monitored their pricing behavior. The Italian authority also claims the company may have imposed “retaliatory commercial measures” against retailers who lowered prices or deviated from the guidelines.

    Similar concerns have been raised about Swatch, whose portfolio includes Swatch, Tissot, Mido and Hamilton. The regulator suspects Swatch of enforcing fixed retail prices and keeping close watch over whether its retail partners comply, potentially punishing those who do not, according to Yahoo.

    If proven, these practices could amount to resale price maintenance, a serious infraction defined as a “hardcore restriction” under EU competition rules. Such behavior could violate Article 101 due to its impact on consumer choice and fair market pricing.

    In early December 2025, Italy’s Competition Authority, supported by the Special Antitrust Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, carried out inspections at the Italian offices of both companies as part of the ongoing investigation, per Yahoo.

    Source: Yahoo