Over the last twenty years, Swiss watch exports worldwide have doubled, rising from 8.4 to 19.9 billion francs, according to figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS). These two decades are among the most dynamic in the history of the Swiss watch industry. And it was China that revived business, with a 19% jump in orders. While purchases in the country were encouraged by the authorities, the arrival of the Internet also had an impact on distribution, even though traditional watchmakers took time to move to e-commerce. The emergence of crowdfunding platforms will allow hundreds of new user-funded watch brands to come into being.
