On the occasion of the opening of the EPHJ (Watchmaking and Jewelry Professional Environment), the largest trade fair in Switzerland, which is being held at Palexpo from June 14 to 17, the organizers unveiled the results of a major survey carried out with young Swiss people. It focuses on their perception of the watchmaking world, their desires and their consumption habits. The same exercise was carried out in 2016.
Rolex devance Swatch
While the results differ somewhat on certain points, the perception of watchmaking and the expectations of 16-25 year olds have not fundamentally changed in seven years. But some trends emerge, and in particular a different sensitivity to products on either side of the Sarine.
Led by the MIS Trend institute, the survey was carried out between March 11 and April 8 among 1,030 young people in French-speaking Switzerland and German-speaking Switzerland. Participants were asked to answer 45 questions.
Brand awareness is one of the points addressed by this study. If spontaneously a hundred of them were mentioned by the young people questioned, Rolex clearly stands out from the lot by being named first by 86% of those polled. Swatch comes in second place, with 60%, and closely follows Tissot and Omega, named as the first brand by 25 and 24% of young people respectively. In 2016, Swatch was at the top of the ranking. The institute presents this strong growth of Rolex as the result of major communication campaigns.
The two best-known brands are also at the top of the ranking of watches owned by 16-25 year olds, Swatch (23%) and Rolex (16%). There is a net decrease of 27 points for Swatch in six years, while Rolex is progressing slightly.
Germans more connected
The most marked difference concerns connected watches. Apple shows an increase of 13 points. If six years ago, quite surprisingly, they only interested 20% of young people, they are now a third to show interest in connected watches. And when asked whether they would opt for the latter or for a classic watch, opinions are divided in German-speaking Switzerland, while two-thirds of French-speaking people would choose a classic watch. Note that nearly four out of ten young people already have an Apple Watch or one of its competitors.
Overall, prestigious brands, such as Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, are making progress among young people’s favorite watches, while entry-level and quartz watches produced by fashion brands are slipping slightly. The good news for Swiss watchmaking is that 53% of young people consider that a beautiful watch is synonymous with beautiful mechanisms and complications. And once once more, there is a significant difference between the Romands and the Germans. The former showing a much stronger attachment to beautiful watches than their German-speaking counterparts. This observation applies to all the parameters analyzed.
