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Swiss watch exports improved in May, the first increase in several months, thanks to strong demand in the US, UK and France.
Shipments of timepieces rose 0.4% to CHF 2.11 billion ($2.63 billion) for the month, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported Thursday. The increase follows last month’s 17% drop, which was led by a sharp dip in the US.
“The US and the United Kingdom made good progress, supported by a favorable base effect,” the federation said. “France continued to rank second among the main markets, achieving remarkable growth, driven by its role as a logistics hub since December 2025. Hong Kong confirmed signs of a gradual recovery, while China again proved highly volatile…. Japan continued on a downward trend.”
Exports to the US grew 12% to CHF 301.5 million ($375.7 million), while those to France spiked 57% to CHF 190.7 million ($237.6 million). Shipments to the UK advanced 25% to CHF 162.9 million ($203 million), and Hong Kong gained 3.4% to CHF 162 million ($201.9 million). Orders to Japan slipped 3.5% to CHF 153.2 million (190.9 million), while supply to China dropped 21% to CHF 130.1 million ($162.1 million).
Timepieces improved in two price categories: Watches valued between CHF 200 ($249) and CHF 500 ($623) rose 24%, and those above CHF 3,000 ($3,739) grew 3.7%. Meanwhile, units below CHF 200 fell 4.5% and pieces between CHF 500 and CHF 3,000 slid 17%.
From January to May, exports were down 3.1% year on year to CHF 10.44 billion ($13 billion).
Image: A display of Swiss watches. (Shutterstock)
