Swatch Is Chasing $170 Million From Samsung Over Watch Faces That Earned $300

A UK court is deciding how much Samsung must pay Swatch for trademark infringement, and the gap between the two sides is staggering: Swatch wants $170 million; Samsung says the apps in question earned just $300 in platform commissions. The damages phase follows a 2022 High Court ruling that already found Samsung liable, and a verdict is expected within weeks. Because the case was filed before Brexit took effect, the ruling will apply across all 27 EU member states — making it one of the more consequential intellectual property decisions in recent European history.

The apps, not the watches

The dispute isn't about Samsung's own Galaxy Watch designs. It centers on 26 third-party apps available through the Galaxy Store that let users install digital watch faces mimicking the look of Swatch Group brands — Omega, Tissot, Breguet, Longines, and Blancpain among them. Those apps were downloaded around 160,000 times across the UK and EU, per Reuters. Most were free.

Swatch values its claim as hypothetical licensing fees across ten of its brands, factoring in each brand's reputation and commercial weight. Samsung argues the figure is wildly disproportionate — total app revenue across all 26 titles was around $1,000, with Samsung keeping roughly $300 as its platform cut, notes Android Headlines. The judge must now decide which framing of "damages" is legally appropriate.

What this means beyond London

The stakes extend well past the courtroom. A parallel lawsuit against Samsung's US subsidiary is currently paused, waiting for the London judgment. Whatever damages figure the UK court sets will effectively become the template for the American case — giving Swatch a powerful incentive to push for the highest number possible now.

The case also surfaces a deliberate strategic choice by traditional watchmakers. Tissot's leadership has said publicly that the brand avoids making a full smartwatch on purpose, believing mass-market digital products would dilute the exclusivity that Swiss luxury depends on. That makes controlling how their designs appear on other companies' platforms — even via third-party apps — a commercial priority, not just a legal one.

The ruling, when it comes, will set a precedent for how platform operators across Europe and the US are held responsible for infringing content they didn't create but did profit from hosting.