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Swatchwatches have experienced a surge in popularity in recentmonths, perhaps driven by the brand's fashionable designs and retrostyling.New figures released by Swatch Group AG showed that sales in thefirst half of 2010 jumped by 22 per cent, resulting in companygrowth of 55 per cent.Chairman Nick Hayek, who prepared the statistics prior to hisdeath in late June from heart failure, said: "We have been able togrow in all regions and across all our price segments."His daughter Nayla has since inherited his role of chair of theboard.Last month, Emma Messenger of the Daily Mail said Swatch watchesare iconic timepieces, as they pioneered the idea that watchescould be fun and trendy without costing a fortune.The classic Swatch plastic style was introduced in 1980 and thewriter said it has since enjoyed lasting popularity from people inall walks of life.

Swatch watches have been hailed as a global phenomenon by author Jurg Wegelin.The writer, whose book Mr Swatch details the rise of the international brand, said Swatch watches were designed to be the cheapest and best watches in history.Speaking to the Telegraph, he stated that the company achieved this goal by developing a timepiece with just 50 parts.This, he said, made it highly affordable and gave customers the opportunity to change the look of their watch.Mr Wegelin also noted that the low price of Swatch watches completely transformed buying behaviour among consumers."In future, women would buy a Swatch to go with their clothes and the watch would become a fashion accessory," he commented.Mr Wegelin added that Swatch watches are of such high quality that they never need to be repaired. This comes after Swatch watches confirmed that Nayla Hayek is to step in as the company's new chairwoman following the death of founder Nicolas Hayek last week.