Swatch Group is seeing strong demand for microchips produced by its EM Microelectronic unit, the watchmaker's chief executive said on Thursday.

"We have always maintained our chip factories in Switzerland and we see the clients are flying in from everywhere in the world because they see there's an independent source here for quality microchips. This is a big opportunity," Nick Hayek said in a webcast conference on the group's previously published full-year results.

Hayek said Swatch Group would continue investing in this business.

(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Maria Sheahan)