Swiss Watch Exports Resume Slump as US Rebound Proves Shortlived

Swiss watch exports resumed their long slump in January after a brief respite the previous month triggered by the easing of US tariffs.

Exports fell 3.6% last month from a year earlier to 1.9 billion Swiss francs ($2.5 billion), the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said Thursday. Watches in the most expensive category made from precious metals led the decline.

It’s a setback for an industry that was upended last year due to US President Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs. Their retroactive easing from November boosted exports the following month, but the value of watches sent to the industry’s biggest ...