Exports did better in June, as compared to previous months. Their value stood at 1.9 billion francs, equivalent to growth of 11.8% against June 2017. This result enabled watch industry exports to exceed the 10 billion francs mark in the first half (10.5 billion francs +10.5%); that had no longer been the case since 2015.
Several markets reported very strong growth in the month of June. Hong Kong (+39.2%), Japan (+31.8%), France (+40.9%), South Korea (+46.2%) and Thailand (+51.6%) posted particularly strong increases. The United States (+5.7%) and China (+4.1%) reported more modest growth, while the United Kingdom (-11.8%), Italy (-21.3%) and Spain (-11.8%) saw their situation worsen. On average, Europe remained relatively stable (+1.4%).
Bimetal watches made showed best gains.