PARIS — Swiss watch exports dipped 0.2 percent in August, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported.
Foreign sales of Swiss watches totaled 1.49 billion Swiss francs, or $1.64 billion, according to the federation.
Dollar figures are converted at average exchange rates for the period in question.
Exports to Hong Kong, which were down 8.4 percent, retreated for the fourth month in a row. Sales to Germany declined 15.8 percent. In contrast, exports to the U.S. and to Japan increased 6.8 percent and 16.5 percent, respectively.
Wristwatch exports rose 0.6 percent on a value basis, driven primarily by bimetal, steel and platinum watches. Meanwhile, the other products category registered a 13.3 percent decline in value terms.
Also on a value basis, export sales for the gold-steel category notched up the largest gain, of 3.5 percent. The steel segment advanced 0.8 percent, and the categories of gold and “other” each grew 0.2 percent. By contrast, export sales of wristwatches in other metals declined 6.7 percent.
The number of timepieces exported dipped 0.1 percent.
Watches costing between 200 Swiss francs and 500 Swiss francs, or $220 and $550, posted a 7.8 percent gain in value terms. However, the other price ranges remained about on a par with their levels in August 2013. Timepieces costing from 500 Swiss francs to 3,000 Swiss francs, or $3,299, were up 0.3 percent, for instance.