A decline of more than 16% is largely due to a sharp drop in exports to the US market.
According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, Swiss watch exports in April 2026 fell by 16.6%. The total export value for the first four months of this year amounted to CHF 2.1 billion, which is 3.9% less than the same period last year.
In financial terms, almost all categories of watches experienced a decline. The most significant drop in exports affected watches with precious metal cases (-24.3%) and steel-cased watches (-18.1%). The only category that saw a positive trend in mid-spring was 'Other Metals' (+10.0%), but there are not enough watches in this category to significantly impact the overall picture.
Regarding export volumes, watches with precious metal cases (-26.1%), bi-color models (-16.4%), and steel-cased models (-10.6%) were particularly hard hit in April. The total volume of shipments decreased by 129,000 units.
The decline affected almost all price categories. The hardest hit were models with an export value of CHF 3,000 and above, which saw a 19% drop in financial terms. Only the category of models priced between 200 and 500 CHF fared relatively well, showing a +7.7% increase in financial terms.
Among key export markets, the US once again stood out with a steep decline of 56.4% in April. This situation is easily explained by the fact that exactly one year ago, following the cancellation of a sharp increase in customs tariffs, there was a similar spike in Swiss watch purchases in the US market. However, compared to 2024, the US market actually showed notable growth (+8.9%).
Other markets of note included France, with a result of +46.3%. This was followed by a trio of Asian countries with roughly similar results: Singapore (+17.3%), China (+17.1%), and Hong Kong (+13.5%). On the other hand, Japan (-12.1%), the UK (-9.7%), and the UAE (-9.5%) experienced significant declines. Germany is also among the laggards with a result of -6.4%.