‘He Likes Swiss Watches!’: Trump Shocks Horology With Tariffs

The Trump administration jolted Switzerland with punitive new tariffs. Few seemed to be more taken aback than buyers and sellers of Swiss watches.

Oliver R. Müller, a luxury watch consultant based in Switzerland, was indignant at the blow that tariffs will likely inflict on the country’s watch industry, which has recently been relying on demand from the US to offset fading sales in China.

“It’s another burden that comes on top of many others,” Müller said in an interview.

The administration’s 39% tariff on all Swiss imports, if passed along from sought-after brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe and Omega ...