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FRANCAIS
After a month of November in which the rate of decline slowed considerably, Swiss watch exports managed to confirm this trend in December. They totalled 1.2 billion francs, down by 7.2% compared to December 2008. The year 2009 ended therefore with an overall decline of 22.3%, at 13.2 billion francs.
The fall in value in December was due mainly to gold watches. By contrast, bimetallic timepieces recorded strong growth. Steel products held steady at their level of December 2008. Exported volumes increased in number, thanks to the category of other materials and to steel and bimetallic timepieces.
The recovery was not apparent in all price segments in December. Wristwatches costing less than 3,000 francs (export price) showed marked growth generally. Their overall value increased by 11.6%, with unit volumes up by 6.1%. Above these prices, results were well below those of December 2008.
Markets that did register growth in December were mainly those in the Far East. Hong Kong, the leading market for Swiss watch exports, strengthened its position further with a high level of growth. In a similar vein, China rose to fourth place with a good showing. Meanwhile the United States improved its performance considerably, albeit remaining negative. France and the other main European markets suffered from the expected delay effect and recorded a downturn in their results. Japan continued on its downward trend.
source: www.fhs.ch
