A world watch tour

A world watch tour

Top 10 watch markets

EVOLUTION SINCE 1885

By Europa Star

August 2018

According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, the value of Swiss watch exports fell just short of the 20 billion francs mark last year. But what about the history of the main watch markets, on the longer run? In this infographics, we are following their evolution from 1855 to 2017.

Top 10 watch markets

EVOLUTION SINCE 1885

By Europa Star

August 2018

Top 10 watch markets

According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, the value of Swiss watch exports fell just short of the 20 billion francs mark last year. But what about the history of the main watch markets, on the longer run? In this infographics, we are following their evolution from 1855 to 2017.

Top 10 watch markets

WATCH FILES
A world watch tour

Atelier Wen: “We like to offer our community something extra”

Atelier Wen: “We like to offer our community something extra”

For the launch of the Perception Millésime 睦 (Mù), which sports a gorgeous guilloché purple dial, Atelier Wen has come up with the novel concept of a prize (...)

India's appetite for luxury is changing, and so is Titan

India’s appetite for luxury is changing, and so is Titan

As India’s appetite for luxury watches grows, Titan, the country’s dominant watchmaker, is adapting its strategy to maintain its advantage. Although (...)

Marathon Watch Company's band of brothers

Marathon Watch Company’s band of brothers

As a trusted supplier to governments worldwide, this Canadian brand has been producing closely guarded, military-grade time instruments since WWII. (...)

Stepan Sarpaneva: from Cable Guy to Candyman

Stepan Sarpaneva: from Cable Guy to Candyman

Stepan Sarpaneva’s studio used to be in a former cable factory. In 2022 he moved the production of his two brands, Sarpaneva and Sarpaneva Uhrenfabrik (...)

Jurmo Watches offers customisation of adventurous horology

Jurmo Watches offers customisation of adventurous horology

Finnish 7-year-old Jurmo watches has impressive production capabilities and an in-house designer, which makes it an extremely agile brand that also (...)

De Motu: Flying High Again

De Motu: Flying High Again

Finnish watch brand De Motu works actively with fighter pilots with the aim of creating the ultimate pilot watches. For founder Valdemar Hirvelä, this means (...)

African retailers and the exodus of capital

African retailers and the exodus of capital

TRAVEL NOTES 🇳🇬 NIGERIA

Deremi Ajidahun is often congratulated by Swiss CEOs on the appetite for watches of Nigerians vacationing in Paris, London or New York. The African (...)

Future secured For Finland's famous Watchmaking School

Future secured For Finland’s famous Watchmaking School

In 2024 Kelloseppäkoulu – with alumni like Kari Voutilainen and Stepan Sarpaneva – celebrates 80 years of existence. It has great recognition in the watch (...)

Geopolitics and the watchmaking sector: 2024, a pivotal year

Geopolitics and the watchmaking sector: 2024, a pivotal year

The watchmaking year ticks over as regular as clockwork. Not so the geopolitical agenda. 2024 is set to be an exceptional year in terms of its political, (...)

In the Gulf, collectors call the shots

In the Gulf, collectors call the shots

REPORT

“Their ‘small’ collectors would be considered big collectors elsewhere”. Edouard Meylan (H. Moser & Cie) observes, emphasising the role of the Middle East (...)

Country focus: Sweden

Country focus: Sweden

Perhaps Sweden – famous for IKEA, meatballs, pickled herring, red cottages, elks, and midnight sun – should add watch brands to the list? In the last decades (...)

Claesson Koivisto Rune, Swedish-made watch design

Claesson Koivisto Rune, Swedish-made watch design

Skypod, one of the latest Ikepod models, is designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune. The trio behind the eponymous Swedish architect and design office has made (...)

Where is Daniel Wellington today?

Where is Daniel Wellington today?

The social media marketing pioneer took off like a rocket in the 2010s with its minimalist watch design and distinctive Nato straps. But just after the (...)

Mille Miglia: a country united

Mille Miglia: a country united

REPORT

Our reporter Lorenzo Maillard, a self-confessed watch and vintage car geek, was given the chance to take part in the celebrated Italian race, which has a (...)

Luch, the last surviving Belarusian watchmaker

Luch, the last surviving Belarusian watchmaker

REPORT

A flagship of the Soviet watch industry, the Luch factory was propelled into the market economy in the early 1990s. Faced with competition and threatened (...)

Bajer Watches, committed to Kurdish art and culture

Bajer Watches, committed to Kurdish art and culture

PORTRAIT

As we continue our world tour of watchmaking, we meet an entrepreneur of Kurdish origin now living in the United States, who chose horology to express her (...)

SIAR: building on the Mexican retailers' networks

SIAR: building on the Mexican retailers’ networks

THE FAIR TRADE

When publisher Carlos Alonso started the annual SIAR watch fair in Mexico City, he quickly realised that the way to reach out to the best clients was to (...)

Dubai Watch Week: the show inspiring other shows

Dubai Watch Week: the show inspiring other shows

THE FAIR TRADE

For the first time, Rolex has taken part in a trade show other than Baselworld, showing a retrospective of the Submariner at Dubai Watch Week. Organised (...)

Meeting India's largest luxury watch retailer

Meeting India’s largest luxury watch retailer

MARKETS

India will likely become the most populous country in the world by 2027. This stunning growth is not yet reflected in the watch industry, due to historical (...)

The emerging watch market of Canada

The emerging watch market of Canada

REPORT

Why is Canada not in the top 20 global markets for Swiss watchmakers, despite its high level of development? The potential of the Canadian watch market, in (...)

Mexico: an unconventional watch market

Mexico: an unconventional watch market

LATIN AMERICA

The country is undoubtedly Latin America’s giant in terms of luxury watches consumption, clearly ahead of Brazil or Argentina. It is an important market for (...)

In Pakistan, watchmaking follows geopolitics

In Pakistan, watchmaking follows geopolitics

MEGACITIES & HUBS

It is hard to put an accurate figure on the population of the biggest cities in the world. What we do know is that most of them are in developing (...)

What are the main markets for Swiss watches?

What are the main markets for Swiss watches?

WORLD RANKING

The Swiss watch industry posted growth in 2017, between January and November accordingly to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Exports totaled (...)

Panama, a future watch hub?

Panama, a future watch hub?

TRAVEL NOTES 🇵🇦 PANAMA

The country is already a commercial, logistical and financial hub for Central America and the Caribbean region. With its modern infrastructure, political (...)

Israel: in search of a new direction

Israel: in search of a new direction

TRAVEL NOTES 🇮🇱 ISRAEL

In their narrow local market, Israeli retailers are counting on the rise of tourism to boost watch sales. Geopolitical tensions however jeopardise this (...)

A new M.A.D. Gallery at the Dubai Mall

A new M.A.D. Gallery at the Dubai Mall

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Max Büsser has found new Friends in the world’s largest shopping mall, located in the United Arab Emirates. The watchmaker who continues to follow his (...)

India's luxury watch market, a complex case

India’s luxury watch market, a complex case

ANALYSIS

While 2017 was a year focused on absorbing the shock of “demonetisation” in India – as the government suddenly withdrew more than two-thirds of the country’s (...)

Luxury market expectations in Australia

Luxury market expectations in Australia

WORLD MARKETS

Record continuous growth and buoyant conditions are strong indicators for the luxury makers but they face contradictory generational (...)

Russia, a challenging year

Russia, a challenging year

2017

2017 has been a challenging year for the Russian watch market. For the first nine months of the year, the value of imported watches increased by 5%, but (...)

United Arab Emirates, oversupply?

United Arab Emirates, oversupply?

2017: -4.1%

The hub for luxury watches in the Middle East has been met with challenging times these last three years. Basically, there is too much supply, with the (...)

The geopolitics of world time

The geopolitics of world time

TRAVEL WATCHES

In the late nineteenth century, dividing the world into slices, even if only for time-keeping purposes, raised serious problems between nations and empires (...)

Senegal: at the sickbed of the watch market

Senegal: at the sickbed of the watch market

WORLD MARKETS

On the beaches of Dakar, lapped by the Atlantic, time is on the move. It slips between the Western tourists languishing on the sand of Yoff or the pebbles (...)

Italy, a stable market and a deep watch culture

Italy, a stable market and a deep watch culture

2017: -0.6%

Contrary to Hong Kong, China or the UK, which have experienced dramatic increases or decreases these last years, the Italian market seems much more stable. (...)

An interview with Seddiqi

An interview with Seddiqi

WORLD MARKETS

The third edition of Dubai Watch Week was an incontestable success, despite the fact that the world of watch trade fairs is currently in turmoil. The event (...)

India: the slow-moving giant

India: the slow-moving giant

One of the fastest growing economies with a large, young population and a sizeable middle class, the south Asian power has not held all its promises for (...)

New brands from the North

New brands from the North

Where brands from the North are concerned, there is not only Daniel Wellington from Sweden, Suunto from Finland and Skagen from Denmark (and quite a few (...)

Dealing with protectionism

Dealing with protectionism

MARKETS

The increased taxes on watch purchases by Chinese tourists in Switzerland rank high on the list of the industry’s current woes. In Brazil and India, highly (...)

The true size of the Swiss watch market

The true size of the Swiss watch market

DATA

Everything you always wanted to know about the Swiss watch trade but were afraid to ask: a recent survey, published by The Mercury Project, created by (...)

The unpublished export figures for Swiss luxury watches

The unpublished export figures for Swiss luxury watches

EXCLUSIVE

The export figures for watches valued at over CHF 3,000 have always been something of a mystery. Now, for the first time, this crucial sector of Swiss (...)

Annual activity report 2017 by Hermès

Annual activity report 2017 by Hermès

DATA The Hermès annual activity report 2017 is out and may be downloaded here. You can find some key figures in our special infographics here (...)

Hublot: what marketing impact of the World Cup?

Hublot: what marketing impact of the World Cup?

THE WATCH FILES When seeing the referees holding boards with the Hublot logo during the World Cup, did you wonder what was the marketing outcome for the brand? Chrono24 (...)

Why nobody talks about watch investment value

Why nobody talks about watch investment value

TIME.BUSINESS Odd as it may sound, in the connoisseur and collector circles, ‘investment value’ is seldom a topic. Time is changing. What values do (...)