{"id":140717,"date":"2026-03-16T14:55:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.we-wealth.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=140717"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:55:25","slug":"the-swiss-watch-market-in-early-2026","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.we-wealth.com\/en\/news\/the-swiss-watch-market-in-early-2026","title":{"rendered":"The Swiss watch market in early 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initial data on the Swiss watch market in 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>2026 is off to a slow start for the Swiss watch industry. According to data released by the FHS \u2013 <strong>F\u00e9d\u00e9ration de l\u2019industrie horlog\u00e8re suisse<\/strong>, January exports fell by 3.6% compared to the same month last year, reversing the moderate growth of +3.3% recorded in December and following the more pronounced decline of 7.3% observed in November. The two-year comparison, often more indicative during periods of calendar fluctuations, nevertheless shows near-stability at +0.3%, following -2.2% in December and -10.4% in November: a sign that, even in the absence of a true rebound, the decline of the past two years may have reached a point of equilibrium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The weakening of the U.S. market remains the most evident factor. The United States, affected by the introduction of import tariffs, recorded a 14% decline in January, a sharp reversal from the +19.1% in December. The two-year trend has dropped to zero, following the +18% of the previous month. This is particularly significant given that the U.S. is one of the key markets for Swiss watches: the impact of tariffs is making the market more volatile, with a direct effect on demand for high-end models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Europe, the picture is more nuanced<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italy and Germany are showing a gradual improvement, with a reduction in the severity of the declines observed in 2025. Conversely, the United Kingdom and France are showing early signs of a slowdown after months of strong performance. This internal divergence suggests that European demand is undergoing a phase of normalization, but not uniformly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trend in Greater China, however, has been much more dynamic. After a weak 2025, January showed a return to vitality: Hong Kong returned to positive territory with a +2.6% increase, while mainland China recorded a +5% increase, breaking a streak of negative months. Despite this, the two-year reading remains strongly negative (\u201325.6% for mainland China), a sign that the recovery observed at the start of the year, while significant, still occurs within a context of structurally weaker demand compared to pre-crisis levels. The region\u2019s overall improvement, which reached +4% for the month, remains one of the most encouraging elements of the global picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other Asian markets show divergent trends. Japan slows down on a monthly basis but accelerates on a two-year basis, while Singapore records a more pronounced slowdown that interrupts the strong growth seen at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The most luxurious brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the month\u2019s most significant trends emerges when looking at price segments. The top segment\u2014watches priced above 3,000 Swiss francs\u2014which alone accounts for about three-quarters of the total value and includes brands such as <strong>Rolex<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.we-wealth.com\/news\/battuto-asta-patek-philippe-piu-costoso-sempre\"><strong><u>Patek Philippe<\/u><\/strong><\/a>, <strong>Audemars Piguet<\/strong>, <strong>Vacheron Constantin<\/strong>, and <strong>IWC<\/strong>\u2014saw an 8.1% decline, underscoring the cooling of high-end demand. In contrast, the mid-range segment (500\u20133,000 CHF) is growing strongly, posting a +17.7% increase that signals a revival among mid-premium consumers. The lower price brackets show more moderate dynamics, with weak or slowing growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, the Swiss watch industry enters 2026 facing a heterogeneous and complex landscape: the United States remains the main point of vulnerability, Europe is proceeding in a disjointed manner, while Greater China is finally showing signs of recovery after difficult months. The polarization of demand between a slowing high-end segment and an accelerating mid-range segment can be interpreted as an indicator of global consumer sentiment, with consumers now being more selective in the full-luxury segments and more active in the mid-range segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Swiss watch market slows down in early 2026, amid U.S. tariffs and mixed signals from Asia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Swiss watch industry starts the year on a downturn: weakness in the U.S., mixed performance in Europe, and a slight recovery in China. The mid-range segment is growing, while demand for high-end watches is falling sharply. Analysis by Morgan Stanley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85135,"featured_media":140718,"template":"","categories":[3985,2251],"tags":[],"collana-video":[],"class_list":["post-140717","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-collectible-watches","category-pleasure-assets"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Swiss watch market in early 2026 | WeWealth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Swiss watch industry starts the year on a downturn: weakness in the U.S., mixed performance in Europe, and a slight recovery in China. The mid-range segment is growing, while demand for high-end watches is falling sharply. 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