Swiss Watch Exports to U.S. Jump 26.5% in July

By JCK News Desk | August 20, 2026

Exports of Swiss watches to the United States surged 26.5% in July, making the U.S. the leading driver of growth for the Swiss watch industry during the month, according to new data released by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH).

U.S. exports totaled 701.3 million Swiss francs (approximately $866 million), representing 26.7% of all Swiss watch exports in July.

Overall, Swiss watch exports rose 9.6% year over year to 2.63 billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion) in July. The FH said the strong monthly performance pushed cumulative exports for the first seven months of 2026 into positive territory, with year-to-date exports up 0.9%.

Growth was broad-based across product categories. Exports of watches made from precious metals increased 3.7% by value, while steel watches rose 9% and bimetallic gold-and-steel models climbed 23.8%. The industry also shipped about 97,000 more watches than in July 2025, bringing total wristwatch exports to roughly 1.5 million units for the month.

The strongest gains came from higher-priced watches. According to the FH, watches with export prices above 3,000 Swiss francs ($3,700) increased 12% by value. The 200–500 franc segment ($250–$620) also continued a recovery trend, posting growth of 26.1%, while the 500–3,000 franc category declined 3.9%.

Among major export markets, the United Kingdom rose 9.5%, Hong Kong increased 0.5%, and Singapore gained 2.3%. Japan declined 3.7%, while China fell 18.5% and the United Arab Emirates dropped 3.7%, according to the federation. The European Union rose by 12.4%, mainly driven by Germany.

The FH said the United States has now delivered double-digit growth for three consecutive months, underscoring the market’s continued importance to the Swiss watch industry.

The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.

(Top: Close-up of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41; photo courtesy of Rolex.)