Swatch responds to US tariffs with special "39%" watch

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Business

Credits: Swatch

Zurich - Watch brand Swatch has responded to US tariffs with a special edition watch. The design plays on the 39 percent levy imposed on Switzerland. The brand has pledged to stop selling the watch "as soon as the US changes its tariffs".

The Swiss brand, known for its multicoloured plastic watches, has launched a model where the numbers three and nine are reversed to form 39. A percentage sign is inscribed on the back.

The watch went on sale on the Swatch website on Wednesday, June 12, 2025. It is only available in Switzerland, priced at 139 Swiss francs.

"Hopefully, just a limited edition," notes the brand under the photo of the model on its site.

"This advertisement is to be understood as positive provocation; a nod to the current situation," a Swatch Group spokesperson told AFP on Thursday, June 13, 2025. "As soon as the US changes its tariffs towards Switzerland, we will immediately stop selling this watch." He added that he hoped this provocation "will not last long", but "on the contrary, will be as short as possible".

Swatch is not the only brand to react with a playful response. Raymond Weil has also launched a limited edition of one of its flagship models. It will be produced in 39 copies, in a 39-millimetre format, with a 39 percent discount compared to the usual price of this model, offered at 1,575 francs.

This Geneva-based brand wanted to react with humour to "a complicated situation" for watchmaking, "by saying that instead of adding 39 percent, we would rather deduct 39 percent from the price", its chief executive officer, Elie Bernheim, explained to AFP.

This 39 percent represents a blow for Swiss watch manufacturers. They must produce their watches in the Alpine country to be able to affix the precious "Made in Switzerland" label. The US is their largest market, accounting for nearly 17 percent of Swiss watch exports in 2024.

Last week, the Swiss minister of economics, Guy Parmelin, travelled to Washington to meet with the secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick, and the secretary of the treasury, Scott Bessent, as well as the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer. Upon his return to Switzerland, Parmelin spoke of "constructive discussions", without providing details.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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