Slight decline for the month and minor gain for the first quarter.
According to the Swiss Federation of the Watch Industry, Swiss watch exports in March 2026 decreased by 1%, although the number of watches sold increased by 5.1%. The total export value for the first quarter of this year amounted to CHF 6.2 billion, which is 1.4% higher than in the first quarter of 2025.
The overall export value was negatively impacted by a decline in demand for watches with precious metal cases (-4%) and a drop in interest for steel watches (-9%). The most popular in terms of demand in March were watches from the 'Other Metals' category (+31.8%) and bi-color models (+17.8%).
The total volume of exported watches increased by 57,000 units compared to last year. This figure was influenced by the same bi-color models (+5.9%), steel watches (+5.8%), and watches with cases made of other non-precious metals (+23.8%).
An interesting situation unfolded across different price categories. In the most problematic group of watches priced between CHF 200 and 500, there was a sharp increase in demand (+15.4%). All other categories on average declined by 1%.
Although the USA showed a decrease of 1.6% in the first month of spring, the States still maintain the status of a top export market. France continues to demonstrate a colossal surge in interest in Swiss watches (in March - +72.4%). However, experts believe that the excitement observed since December does not reflect the real situation in the French market, as it involves re-exporting to other markets. In simpler terms, it involves exporting watches to other countries.
Other key markets recorded approximately similar growth: the United Kingdom (+3.2%), China (+4.2%), and Singapore (+4.9%). Hong Kong slightly deviates from this pattern, managing to maintain a modest gain (+0.5%). On the other end of the spectrum are Japan (-12.6%), Germany (-8.5%), and Saudi Arabia (-16.8%). Strangely, the conflict in the Middle East did not affect the watch market, so the UAE situation is similar to that in Hong Kong - +0.7%.
Looking at the first-quarter export data, the largest Asian markets are currently in a borderline position, showing export declines within 1%: Japan (-0.4%), Hong Kong (-0.8%), and China (-0.7%).