Rome, December 9, 2025 — The Italian authority has opened two investigations into Citizen and Swatch, examining whether the watchmakers imposed retail prices on authorised distributors and restricted discounting on online sales.
Alleged Pricing Restrictions
The authority said Citizen Watch Italy, Citizen Watch Co. Ltd., The Swatch Group (Italia), and Swiss-based The Swatch Group Ltd. may have required jewellery and watch retailers to follow fixed online prices for several brands.
Citizen’s network reportedly covers brands including Citizen, Bulova, Vagary, Fréderique Constant, and Alpina. Swatch oversees brands such as Swatch, Tissot, Mido, and Hamilton.
According to the authority, both groups may have enforced resale prices through selective distribution systems, monitored distributors’ pricing, and applied retaliatory commercial measures against retailers offering discounts.
Possible Breach of EU Rules
The authority noted that the alleged resale price setting could amount to a hardcore restriction under Article 4(a) of EU Regulation 720/2022, as well as an infringement of Article 101 TFEU.
Officials carried out inspections at Citizen Watch Italy and The Swatch Group (Italia) on December 3 with support from the Guardia di Finanza’s special unit.
Source: https://www.agcm.it/media/comunicati-stampa/2025/12/I879-I880
