Swiss Watch exports jump in April in April in front of potential US tariffs by 18%

Before the impending tariffs of President Trump in Switzerland, watchmakers and retailers argue alike to get timepieces.

1.3 million Swiss watches left the European country in April with a total of 3 billion US dollars (CHF 2.5 billion). This is an increase of 18 percent compared to the same time of the previous year, according to the latest data from the Federation of Swiss Watch in the industry, Bloomberg reported.

The United States was the main driver of the increase and made up 33 percent of the market. Exports in the United States rose by 149 percent compared to the previous year and reached a total of $ 851.9 million in number that corresponds to around a fifth of total exports in 2024 to the USA. In particular, the timepieces made of precious metals, steel and bimetallic materials recorded the greatest increases.

The drastic jump in April is the “result of the earlier programs triggered by the announcement of US tariffs,” said Jean-Philippe Bertschy, analyst at the investment company Vontobel, Bloomberg. The hike is probably a direct reaction to the tariffs and is not indicating an increase in demand, he said.

As already mentioned, Trump announced a 10 percent tariff in April on Swiss imports. Since then he has discussed that an additional tax of 31 percent has been added if a trade agreement is not hit by July 9. However, according to Bloomberg, this period could be pushed back to a later time.

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, it did not see anything similar. In April, Swiss exports fell by 6.4 percent around the world by 6.4 percent. The Asian market fought: China had one of the larger declines with a decline of 30 percent, while Singapore and Hong Kong decreased exports by 9 percent and 23 percent. According to the WWD, Great Britain, Japan and France only recorded single -digit growth.

The US tariffs could affect more than just Swiss watches. The taxes would also affect luxury car manufacturers, although they do not apply for cars for over 25 years. Meanwhile, the American wine industry could suffer from the type of trade war – which could lead to a massive boom on the secondary market. With the Swiss Watch industry, we just have to wait and see how things shake off.