Swiss watchmaker Swatch loses trademark trial against Fort Collins-based Vortic

NEW YORK and FORT COLLINS — Vortic Watch Co., a small outfit that repurposes pre-WWII era pocket watches and turns them into modern wristwatches, successfully defended itself in a trademark lawsuit from the multi-billion dollar industry juggernaut Swatch Group.

Swatch filed suit against Vortic in mid-2017 claiming that the Fort Collins company infringed on its intellectual property and misled customers by reusing watch faces made by the former U.S. manufacturer Hamilton. It acquired Hamilton in 1974, five years after the American watchmaker shut down.

Swatch, based in Switzerland, owns more than 20 watch brands and…