Dubai: The latest data, cited by CNN, reveals that between January and June 2025, the five Gulf countries—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain—collectively imported Swiss watches valued at approximately 1.07 billion Swiss francs ($1.33 billion). While the figure marks a slight dip from $1.34 billion during the same period in 2024, the UAE’s appetite for luxury timepieces has only grown.
In June alone, Gulf watch imports totaled 170.2 million francs ($210.7 million), with the UAE accounting for 100 million francs ($124 million)—a 2.9% increase year-on-year. Saudi Arabia followed with 27.7 million francs ($34.35 million), up from 26.2 million francs last year.
Saudi Arabia also retained its overall second-place ranking for the half-year period, importing watches worth 171.2 million francs ($212.3 million), a notable rise from 159.5 million francs ($197.8 million) in the first half of 2024.
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Qatar reported a slight dip in imports, falling to 140.2 million francs ($174 million) from 143.8 million francs last year, while Kuwait saw a sharper decline to 86.9 million francs ($107.8 million), down from 97 million francs ($120.3 million). Bahrain, on the other hand, saw a modest rise to 51.9 million francs ($64.35 million), up from 49.3 million francs ($61.13 million) in the same period last year.
Globally, Swiss watch exports remained steady in the first half of 2025 at 12.09 billion francs ($15 billion), up just 0.1% year-on-year. However, exports in June declined by 4.9%, totaling 2.018 billion francs ($2.5 billion), down from 2.124 billion francs ($2.63 billion) in June 2024.
