The Swiss authorities and companies desperately try to negotiate with the US administration a reduction in their customs duties established in 39%, a level much higher than the European Union or the United Kingdom.
In this context, Swiss watchmaker Rolex invited Donald Trump to attend the US tennis Open final. UU. On Sunday, September 7, according to the Associated Press agency. The president of Rolex, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, received the US president with family members and political leaders in a lodge.
Difficult context for watchmakes
These very high customs tasks are bad news for Swiss watches, also penalized by the weakness of the dollar that increases the price of their watches. However, the US market represents 17% of its exports, an amount of 4.79 billion euros (4.37 billion Swiss francs) last year. At the same time, Swiss watches suffer the slowdown in their sales in China, the other important market. The billing of the Swatch group, the market giant (Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, Swatch …), fell 11% in the first half of 2025.
The Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin met on September 5, high officials of the US administration. Switzerland has prepared a new package of economic measures aimed at persuading the United States to reduce its customs surcharge. These include proposals to encourage companies to invest more in the United States, as well as to increase the purchases of the country in terms of defense and extend access to the Swiss market of American energy products.
Source: BFM TV
