{"id":341290,"date":"2017-05-18T11:06:47","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T03:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1492339"},"modified":"2017-05-18T11:06:47","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T03:06:47","slug":"swiss-watch-exports-dropped-for-a-third-year-in-a-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/swiss-watch-exports-dropped-for-a-third-year-in-a-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss watch exports dropped for a third year in a row"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\">\n<p>Next Story<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"next-title\">Hong Kong\u2019s Qupital raises $2M led by Alibaba to finance invoice loans for\u00a0SMES<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div readability=\"108.75153248876\">\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\">According to the watch press, this year\u2019s Baselworld in Switzerland was a graveyard. \u201cThe Baselworld show, ended March 30, was grim,\u201d said Joe Thompson in <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.watchtime.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watchtime<\/a> Magazine, an enthusiast publication. In short, a once might industry is contracting at an alarming rate.<\/p>\n<p>A further harbinger of death is far simpler to understand. Swiss exports have fallen for the third year in a row. This hasn\u2019t happened since 1930, in the depths of the Depression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spoke with dozens of watch executives and retailers: the consensus view is that the industry is ailing,\u201d wrote Thompson.<\/p>\n<p>Experts attribute the fall to a few factors. First, American imports have fallen 28% as more and more people abandon watches or settle on Apple Watches. Overproduction and overpricing are forcing watches into the gray market and younger people don\u2019t want to buy watches at official sellers, instead choosing to go online.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inset inset-sm inset-section\">\n<section class=\"aside section video-aside crunchreport collapse collapse-adjacent\" data-video-id=\"591b4dbeb90afb49f951645d\">\n<h2 class=\"collapse-title section-title\">Latest <span>Crunch Report<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"collapse-body cf\">\n<ul class=\"vid-list cf\">\n<li class=\"block vid-feature\" data-lightbox-omniture=\"crunchreport\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"block block-inset\" readability=\"7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/video\/symphony-messaging-app-joins-the-unicorn-club-crunch-report\/591b4dbeb90afb49f951645d\/?ncid=rightrail_cr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.vidible.tv\/prod\/2017-05\/16\/591b4dbeb90afb49f951645d\/591b4e8f58415c399cb39e4a_o_U_v1.jpg?w=300&amp;h=170\" alt=\"Symphony Messaging App Joins the Unicorn Club | Crunch Report\" data-lightbox-url=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/video\/symphony-messaging-app-joins-the-unicorn-club-crunch-report\/591b4dbeb90afb49f951645d\/lightbox\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h3>Symphony Messaging App Joins the Unicorn Club | Crunch Report<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/video\/crunchreport\/?ncid=rightrail_crmore\" class=\"text-btn\" data-omni-sm=\"rightrail_crmore\">Watch More Episodes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Watch sales have fallen before. The quartz crisis dented the industry in 1975 and it dropped again in 1982 and 1995. The recent recession flattened new sales as traders sold their fancy Rolexes and Pateks at a discount just to get liquid. And, as a trend, smartwatches have torn pounds of flesh from Geneva\u2019s greatest brands every month.<\/p>\n<p>I expected this third lean year for a long time. The Schadenfreude is truly juicy here and it was already clear that things were bad <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/09\/08\/the-swiss-watch-industry-is-doomed\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a year ago<\/a>. But it truly gives me no pleasure.<\/p>\n<p>Watchmaking is an art albeit one that is no longer cherished. In a world where we are overwhelmed by time we don\u2019t like to remind ourselves that it exists. The media we consume is out of time \u2013 a 24\/7 rush of data that has no connection to the soft ticking of the daily news cycle of old. The morning and evening papers are gone, replaced by a torrent of Tweets.<\/p>\n<p>Further, our devices all remind us of the time. Our phones light up. Our smart watches reset themselves every timezone. Our calendars beep and buzz and keep us on track. There is no place for the soft ticking of a mechanical movement in a quiet room nor is there any impetus to keep the watch wound and running from timezone to timezone, hours snapping into place as the miles pass.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inset inset-sm inset-section\">\n<div class=\"section aside crunchbase-cluster collapse\">\n<h3 class=\"section-title collapse-title\">Crunchbase<\/h3>\n<div class=\"collapse-body\">\n<ul class=\"crunchbase-accordion\">\n<li class=\"data-card crunchbase-card active\" data-crunchbase-url=\"https:\/\/crunchbase.com\/organization\/time-2\/\">\n<h4 class=\"card-title card-acc-handle\"><a class=\"cb-card-title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/crunchbase.com\/organization\/time-2\/\">Time Magazine<\/a><\/h4>\n<div class=\"card-acc-panel\">\n<ul class=\"card-info\">\n<li><strong class=\"key\">Founded<\/strong> <span class=\"value\">1922<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"cb-card-description full\"><strong class=\"key\">Overview<\/strong> <span class=\"value\">Time is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City that features latest news related to economy, technology, entertainment, and other sectors. TIME magazine has a domestic audience of 20 million and a global audience of 25 million; four worldwide editions of TIME magazine, including TIME U.S., TIME Asia, TIME South Pacific, and TIME Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and TIME&#8217;s \u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"full\"><strong class=\"key\">Categories<\/strong> <span class=\"value\"><a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/crunchbase.com\/category\/news\/db01a2011e4757b3c3cca63eb94e3878\">News<\/a>, <a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/crunchbase.com\/category\/social-news\/e5fc663a6268a9652482309f11b21c7b\">Social News<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"full\"><strong class=\"key\">Website<\/strong> <span class=\"value\"><a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/time.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"full profile\"><a href=\"https:\/\/crunchbase.com\/organization\/time-2\" target=\"_blank\">Full profile for Time Magazine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The recent failures of the traditional watch industry isn\u2019t quite the end. I\u2019ve been watching a small watchmakers pop up on Kickstarter and other places online and each one is bringing back a little bit of traditional workmanship and style. I\u2019ve seen the online markets like <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crownandcaliber.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Crown &amp; Caliber<\/a> go from skittering bugs to dinosaur killers and I\u2019ve learned to love the Apple Watch as much as I love my Omega Speedmaster. In the end people who love watches will have more choice, spend less on better products, and support small manufacturers who truly deserve the support. I just worry that in the upper reaches of Swiss watchmaking the passion will drain away and we\u2019ll be left with me-too pieces that are, in a word, boring. Switzerland reacts to damage by shutting down. At this point they need to re-enter the world with exuberance and excitement. They need to abandon George Clooney mooning deeply at his new watch and instead focus on a new generation of spokespeople \u2013 makers, doers, entrepreneurs. After all it\u2019s the rich nerd or nerdette who loves a complicated watch, not the socialite.<\/p>\n<p>The Swiss can fix this. They have to cater to a new buyer, supply to folks who want to buy online, and give products to those who want to see new styles and colors. They also need to educate the next generation about the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wristwatchreview.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">history of the things they want them to love<\/a>. We can create a desire for the artisanal watch again just as we\u2019ve brought back fine pencils and pickles because if we don\u2019t we\u2019re truly sunk.<\/p>\n<p>Switzerland could falter again, however, and the coffin might be closed if they don\u2019t see an uptick. I\u2019m cautiously optimistic. Many aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf, however, 2017 turns out to be one of those almost unheard of back-to-back-to-back slowdowns, then the Swiss watch industry will need painful medicine to cure what ails it,\u201d said Thompson. That medicine comes in the form of closures, lay-offs, and a wholesale change in the way watches are made and sold. And it\u2019s long overdue.<\/p>\n<p><small>Featured Image: Kidsada Manchinda\/Getty Images<\/small> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/gettyimages-609871630.jpg?w=680\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/gettyimages-609871630.jpg?w=680 680w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/gettyimages-609871630.jpg?w=1360 1360w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/gettyimages-609871630.jpg?w=150 150w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/gettyimages-609871630.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/05\/gettyimages-609871630.jpg?w=768 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/>&nbsp;According to the watch press, this year&#8217;s Baselworld in Switzerland was a graveyard. &#8220;The Baselworld show, ended March 30, was grim,&#8221; said Joe Thompson in Watchtime Magazine, an enthusiast publication. In short, a once might industry is contracting at an alarming rate. A further harbinger of death is far simpler to understand. Swiss exports have fallen for the third year in&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/05\/17\/swiss-watch-exports-dropped-for-a-third-year-in-a-row\/?ncid=rss\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:2mJPEYqXBVI\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=2mJPEYqXBVI\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:7Q72WNTAKBA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=7Q72WNTAKBA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:-BTjWOF_DHI\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?i=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:-BTjWOF_DHI\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:D7DqB2pKExk\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?i=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:D7DqB2pKExk\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?a=VtrzXRRAvEA:BuYX6qXpyWQ:qj6IDK7rITs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/Techcrunch?d=qj6IDK7rITs\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/Techcrunch\/~4\/VtrzXRRAvEA\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5817,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[59,66,26],"class_list":["post-341290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-media","tag-techcrunch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5817"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341290\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}