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Swiss watch exports fell by 8.2 percent in February. (Archive image)
Keystone
Swiss watch manufacturers exported significantly fewer watches abroad in February 2025 compared to the same month last year. This means that the upward trend seen in January has already come to an end.
Swiss watch exports fell by 8.2% to CHF 1.98 billion in February 2025. This was despite a favorable base effect, as reported by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) on Thursday. In total, 102,000 fewer watches were exported in February.
In February, exports of "Made in Switzerland" timepieces fell to their lowest level in terms of turnover since September 2024. In the first two months of 2025, the decline amounted to 2.4 percent, the association added.
Watch exports are therefore back to their old rut: after 2023 was still a record year, watch exports in 2024 slumped, especially in the important markets of China and Hong Kong. The mood among consumers there remains weak.
Watch exports to China shrank by 25 percent in February, the report continued. And sales to Hong Kong, once the most important hub for the watch trade, fell by 12.5 percent.
Above all, however, the Americans also demanded fewer Swiss watches for once. Exports to the most important sales market fell by 6.7 percent in February. According to the association, 17.2 percent of Swiss watches were still exported to the USA.
20.03.2025, 08:25
