Swatch Group, the world’s largest watchmaker, posted a 12.3 percent gain in gross sales for 2006, totaling about $4.04 billion. A Jan. 22 announcement from the Swiss watchmaker called the results its best “of all time.”

The most substantial sales growth was among luxury watches. Blancpain, Breguet, Glashütte Original, and Omega all enjoyed double-digit growth.

Brands in the premium and midprice segments also achieved substantial growth, with added market share won in a fiercely contested market by the Calvin Klein, Longines, Rado, and Tissot brands. Midprice Hamilton and low-price Swatch brand also were cited for good results.