TimeOut

Effective April 3, 2025 , the United States will implement a 31% tariff on watches imported from Switzerland . This message has been edited by India Whiskey Charlie on 2025-04-02 22:25:49 ...  

Not sure I see how this would help anybody else.

I assume this will continue. Not sure how the retailers in the US we cope given the recently published numbers were already negative, maybe some bargains to be had when looking at older inventory.

I will continue to track certain pieces in the US but perhaps new releases are not a wise pursuit in the short term

I imagine they will target undeclared imports from tourists returning home now that the higher tariffs justify the effort.

Demand for new cars is high, consumers are rushing to buy what dealers already have on the lot to avoid a $6k increase in MSRP on ICE vehicles and $12k increase in MSRP on EV’s. In a few months, once todays existing inventory is depleted from dealers lots... 

BMW and MB manufacture cars in the US. What’s stopping watch companies from having a parallel assembly line in the states? The same way a GLC300 is made in the states and a G63 is made in Austria, your Datejust could be built in Alabama and your Daytona i... 

Prices will be lower in countries with a lower tariff Australia 10% USA 31% China 34% Julian

Full List of Countries Hit With Reciprocal Tariffs Country Tariffs Charged to U.S. New U.S. Reciprocal Tariff China 67% 34% European Union 39% 20% Vietnam 90% 46% Taiwan 64% 32% Japan 46% 24% India 52% 26% South Korea 50% 25% Thailand 72% 36% Switzerland ... 

Really frustrating...

Gotta roll with the punches

I’m not holding my breath on that, having missed every one before …

I ordered an orange. Guess the customs bill is going to be high 😩

Did those escape the tariffs? I didn't see Germany on the lists so far, just for cars. I'm going to baby my BMW now!

Sigh...😭

I mean not only is gold at a high and still climbing but his Trump gold watch has just got 31% more expensive with his own tariff. Marc

Before we get too wound up and have to lock it down …

That said, my wife is doing back flips because this will probably cause her husband to slow down his watch purchases…so there’s that.

said the watch companies should strive to equalize prices around the world as is their practice. This would share the increased cost globally and lessen the impact on buyers in the US.

…about their efforts to have uniform pricing globally (and the no discounting policy) I do wonder what effort is any will be made by the brands to ensure net to consumer pricing remains relatively uniform across markets. Not holding my breath, but given t... 

It’s hard to see how they can increase the prices globally, seeing how much increase has already taken place of late, without deflating demand. Especially in a shaky economic environment where people will naturally restrict discretionary spending. They mi... 

“Are we negotiating?” “Always.”

Buy the watch in Canada and wear it home. Have the retailer, who has just become your good buddy , send the "collapsible box" (listening, Switzerland?) and the warranty card from his home to your home in a manilla envelope. I mean: what are friends for?

Pick up your watch order in Switzerland. Throw in a factory tour, some fine chocolate and champagne at 5% premium or no additional charges. Collectors saved on nearly 40% tariff charge and get a customised red carpet service. Only a small matter of “decla... 

I'm quite sure the manufacturers would love that as whilst in the US that 31% is going to the government not them elsewhere that 31% would go to them. Now I wonder if you can work out just what the customers and buyers of their watches would feel about th... 

Good luck to the watch companies trying to increase prices in the rest of the world by 31%, or anything close to that, at a time of economic downturn.

The Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930, pushed by Republicans Willis Hawley and Reed Smoot, aimed to protect U.S. agriculture by imposing tariffs on 21,000 goods. Instead, it greatly worsened the global economic crisis after the 1929 stock market crash. Around 30 f... 

If the guy doesn’t even know the difference between ‘ liberation ’ day and INFLATION day ….. that says enough

If you look at the listings he has shown, you can see that he confused VAT with customs duties in some countries. Imports from Switzerland (I am from Austria) for example are to be taxed at 31 percent. This shows that Trump is not interested in so-called ... 

that he suffers from an attention deficit. It remains a mystery. 🙏

What the tariffs are for is to bring manufacturing back to the United States. He hasn't thought through how many Americans will lose their jobs; how many countries will retaliate; how long it will take to be able to manufacture everything needed for a soc... 

…will go up by 31%. But Swiss watches will certainly not be cheaper in the US.

At 31% we’re into retail profit margin levels…

If you're interested in export statistics, this is a great place to explore reliable data. www.fhs.swiss

So in the case of the big brands they are paying the tariffs and will have to decide how much they want to absorb?

The import wholesale is probably around 55-65% of retail, so the 31% will increase that amount roughly 20%. So wondering how much the manufacturer/wholesaler/importer are willing to absorb? Surely the retailer will not absorb and be the one holding the ba... 

then watch prices will be lower in non-USA countries. US citizens might buy watches overseas and try to bring them home (declare or not declare, I don't know). If watch companies try to harmonize pricing worldwide, then consumers in non-USA countries will...