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" Today, it was announced that Swatch is acquiring Harry Winston&amp;#039;s jewelry and watch business for a whopping $1 billion. On first glance, this seems like a pity. The folks that headed the charge to make the watch a disposable fashion item have scooped up a company that&amp;#039;s devoted to precision craftsmanship, horological excellence, and products that are made to last for generations, not seasons. Things can only take a turn for the worst. Right? Well, not really. First off, Swatch has been in the habit of acquiring luxury brands for a little while now. Hell, they own Omega. And, c&amp;#039;mon, Omega&amp;#039;s still doing just fine. But here&amp;#039;s the other, crucial, thing: Yes, Harry Winston&amp;#039;s watches are well-crafted, and from exceptional materials, to boot. But a lot of times, their creations are less about, you know, being a watch, and more about being a strange piece of (very expensive) art. Just check out the model above. Not exactly challenging the Submariner for a place in the annals of understated timekeeping history. And you know who&amp;#039;s great with pushing style over function? Swatch. So perhaps we have a match made in marketing heaven, here: two purveyors of something very similar, just on different ends of the price spectrum. Maybe Swatch is the partner Harry always deserved. Or maybe this is a signifier of the impending end of all things thoughtfully made. But we doubt it. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/style/a18062/swatch-buys-harry-winston-watches-011413/?click=news>