The most important driver of the Swiss watch industry’s recovery has been the revival of the mainland China market.After years of impressive growth, the Swiss watch industry faced difficult conditions in 2015 and 2016, when exports declined by 3.2% and 9.9% respectively in value terms. The last time that there were two consecutive years of decline was in 1995-96. The appreciation of the Swiss franc, the collapse of the top market Hong Kong due to the sudden disappearance of Chinese tourists and the anti-corruption campaign by the Chinese government were all factors behind the drop.Each month the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry issues global watch exports sales data. Its latest report was published today and gives cause for hope for the sector. Export sales in November were up 6.3%

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