Mass market brands enjoy boom in H1 2026 according to report
Swiss-based strategic advisory and consulting firm, LuxeConsult, has published its Q2 2026 report into the watch industry.
Taking a detailed empirical look at markets, brands, distribution, and the secondary market, the report is the brainchild of luxury watch expert Oliver R. Müller, who previously served as CEO of brands including Laurent Ferrier and L. Leroy.
LuxeConsult’s numbers show that global wristwatch exports in the first half of the year were down -0.6% year-on-year (YoY), while volumes were up +2.3% in the same period.
Digging deeper into price segments, four of the eight LuxeConsult retail price segments grew over the half-year, but the four that contracted all sit in the middle of the market. Those watches sitting in the CHF 2,500–CHF 7,500 segment saw a contraction of −19.4% YoY in Q2 alone.
The hardest hit segment was the CHF 25,000–CHF 50,000 section, which saw a drop of -25.1% YoY in Q2.
According to the report, the export CHF 200–CHF 500 band shot up +54.1% in value and +51.3% in volume in June, driven primarily by Swatch Group’s mid-range (Tissot, Longines, Hamilton). Swatch Group’s own H1 financial results would tend to back this up.
Looking at the data geographically, LuxeConsult flagged up the extraordinary performance of South Korea in June, with Swiss exports in June up +24.9% YoY. “Wealth concentration, cultural openness to luxury, and a wave of independent-brand boutique openings all point in the same direction,” said LuxeConsult, as it predicted that the country would break into the top 10 Swiss watch export markets by the end of the year.
This Q2 release is the inaugural edition of what is being branded the ‘LuxeConsult Quarterly Industry Report.’ For information on how to subscribe to the complete report and analysis, please contact Oliver R. Müller directly.
