Swiss Watch Exports Rise in June, Show Stability for Future

By Karen Dybis | July 21, 2026

Swiss watch exports were up 11.2% overall in June, continuing 2026’s “positive momentum,” according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH), which said the market should remain stable despite potential political and economic bumps to come.

“Forecasts for 2026 as a whole point to relatively stable performance compared with 2025. Nonetheless, the level of uncertainty remains particularly high both in the Middle East and in relation to future tariffs that the U.S. government may impose on Switzerland,” FH wrote in its first-half update, published Tuesday.

FH’s monthly report on Swiss watch exports, also issued Tuesday, showed that the United States posted one of the highest increases in June, 12.7%. Other markets with strong results for the month were the U.K. (up 12.2% year-over-year), the United Arab Emirates (20.4%), Japan (8.8%), Hong Kong (6.9%), and Singapore (6.7%).

June exports decreased to China (down 16.5%), Germany (10.6%), and Italy (21.4%), FH said.

Overall, watch exports have generally been stable for the first six months of the year, falling just 0.7% in value compared with the first half of 2025, according to FH’s mid-2026 update. Exports grew in volume year-over-year, with 162,000 more units shipped in the first half of 2026, an increase of 2.3%.

FH said most of the volume growth came from mechanical watches with an export price below 500 francs, which were up 23.8%.

For the first six months of 2026, Swiss watch exports to the United States declined 14.8% from the same period last year—though FH noted “a very high basis for comparison,” since exports to the U.S. had soared 150% in April 2025 following President Trump’s announcement of tariffs.

“Nonetheless, performance over two years (+2.6% compared with 2024) is positive, confirming the robustness of the U.S. market,” FH wrote in the midyear report.

“Geopolitical, macroeconomic, and commercial constraints have played a significant role in the results achieved in the industry,” FH’s six-month report said. “Among other things, the first half of 2026 was characterized by a high level of volatility in the United States following the imposition of further tariffs and a base effect marked by their introduction in the second quarter of 2025.

“The conflict that has raged in the Middle East since the end of February has also destabilized a region that accounts for 10% of Swiss watch exports and which, until that point, had offered the best growth potential worldwide,” FH added. “The first half of the year also saw a more stable Greater China, following a 30% drop over two years in mainland China and the special administrative region of Hong Kong combined.”

In the first half, Swiss watch exports to China fell 5% year-over-year. But a 3.3% increase in the Hong Kong market led to what FH called “a stable result” for Asia as a whole. Exports were up 6.5% to South Korea and 2.2% to Singapore, but dipped 1.6% to Japan, FH said.

“However, the persistent decline in mainland China is destabilizing future prospects for a region that was still the sector’s second-largest market at the end of 2024 but has now dropped to sixth place,” FH said in the midyear report.

For all of the Middle East, Swiss watch exports were down 2% during the first half of the year, though they increased 1.6% for the UAE.

FH’s June report showed increases in most categories by material and price. Exports of watches made from precious metals rose 2.9% in value, compared with the month last year, but declined 1.4% in volume. Watches made were up 7% by unit and 5% by value, FH said.

In the price categories, exports of watches at 200 to 500 francs grew more than 50% year-over-year in June, while exports of watches priced above 3,000 francs rose 14.2% by value.

The Swiss watch industry exports about 95% of its production, to almost 200 markets.

(Photo: Getty Images)