The Swatch Group reported solid gains in both sales and profit for the fiscal year 2012. Sales growth was distributed over all continents, in particular outside the greater China area, such as Europe, the United States, Russia and the Middle East. Gross sales climbed 14 percent year over-year from $7.53 billion to $8.58 billion, exceeding the company’s CHF 8 billion ($8.43 billion) goal despite an economic environment that remained “extremely nervous,” Swatch Group said. Operating profit rose 23 percent to $2.09 billion, with operating margins climbing from 23.9 percent to 25.4 percent. Net income rose 26 percent to $1.70 billion. Swatch Group said it added 1,500 jobs in 2012, bringing its total workforce to more than 29,700 employees globally. Gross sales of watches and jewelry outpaced the company’s production segment, climbing 16 percent to $7.70 billion, with watches in all price points contributing to the growth.” Operating profit for the watches and jewelry segment rose 21 percent and operating margin was 23.5 percent. The company said its new chain of Tourbillon retail boutiques “continued to develop extremely well,” specifically in the U.S. market.