Brands, suppliers, experts and media shared their perspectives to answer a central question: how can we preserve volumes and professions while reinventing business models?

Driven by the EPHJ Show, the speakers called for a “collective reflex” between brands and subcontractors to bounce back from the slowdown in the watch market: strengthening ties to safeguard know-how, innovating without betraying our DNA, and regaining volume, especially in the entry-level and mid-range segments. The market was described as polarized: a few brands are outperforming, a soft middle in between, and a struggling low-end segment, with disappointing results in China and concerns about the 39% US tariffs on Swiss products. On pricing, elasticity may be reaching its limits after significant increases, which is impacting quantities. Subcontractors advocate for a recovery through process innovation, industrial agility and the ability to work with new materials, while emphasizing their need for volume to maintain quality, consistency, and viability. How can we preserve the strength of Swiss Made, avoid ecosystem dilution and rebuild volume platforms – the key to a sustainably attractive Swiss watch industry?

With contributions from Marco Tedeschi, François Billig, Jean-Jacques Weber, Olivier Müller, Serge Maillard and Alexandre Catton.