Article: A Rolex before the storm.

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Jun 30, 2025Rolex

A Rolex before the storm.

The watch, the box, customs

April 2025. A month unlike any other in the watch industry. The kind of month that isn't read on the dials, but on customs manifests.

In just a few weeks, the United States imported 852 million Swiss francs worth of Swiss watches. That's 2.5 times more than in April 2024. This figure doesn't reflect a sudden surge in American passion for watchmaking, but rather a fear: that of a sharp increase in customs duties imposed by the Trump administration.

A watch has never been an urgent product. And yet, tens of thousands of them rushed across the Atlantic. Not to meet demand. But to forestall a shock.

Trump, the 31% and the logistics of reflex

At the end of April, a rumor was confirmed: the US government was considering tariffs of up to 31% on Swiss watch imports. A 90-day deadline was announced, but no one waited.

Brands reacted like they'd triggered an evacuation plan. Rolex, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe. Everyone shipped, everywhere. To avoid paying tomorrow, they prefer to overdeliver today.

This logistical rush, more than commercial, provides a rare glimpse into how luxury brands are responding to uncertainty. And this isn't the first time American politics has shaken things up.Buying a Rolex in the United States may be a good deal. Importing them en masse before the storm hits is another kind of strategy.

Rolex in the lead, but all watchmaking on board

Rolex alone accounts for a third of the American luxury watch market. But the April 2025 phenomenon extends beyond the brand with the crown.

According to the Luxury Watch Barometer, retail sales in the $5,000 to $10,000 segment jumped 35.6%. This figure doesn't even include Rolex, whose data is missing from the study. So, we're talking about a panic effect that affects the entire top-of-the-range segment, not just iconic models.

Why do men love Rolex? Perhaps also because they hate uncertainty.

It's not demand, it's anticipation.

Fred Levin, an American market analyst, summed it up bluntly: “I have never seen such a surge in a single month.”

But this isn't growth. It's a temporal transfer. What should have sold in September or December was sold in April. Because prices were going to rise. Because it was necessary to buy before then.

It's not a surge of desire. It's a fear of loss. Investing in luxury watches has never been so literal.

The world shrinks, America yearns

While the United States is raking in the cash, Asia is falling back:

China: -30.5% of imports
Hong Kong: -23%

Even Singapore and Japan imported more than these two historical markets. Europe is stagnating. Only America is moving forward.

This geographic asymmetry does not reflect a preference. But a trade-off. Swiss companies moved their inventory to where the tax risk was most pressing.

A watch as a defensive act

April 2025 isn't a record-breaking month. It's a tense month. And every imported watch tells the same story: a desire not to submit.

This phenomenon reveals something intimate about the mechanical watch: it is not just an accessory. It is also an investment tool, a mobile refuge, a value that can be held in one's hand, even when everything else is shaking.

And once you've acquired the watch, the question becomes: how do you preserve it, especially if it's not worn every day? For many collectors, the answer is an automatic watch winder , discreet but essential. Not to display it, but to prolong its life. So that it continues to live, even when stopped.

This is similar to the question of how to know if a watch is increasing in value , or which is the cheapest Rolex . These questions are no longer just a matter of passion, but of strategy.