Headlines
Swatch sells watch lampooning Trump's 39% tariffs on Switzerland
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Swatch launches a watch mocking Trump's 39% tariffs on Swiss imports, with reversed numbers on its face. Available only in Switzerland, it's a hit despite delivery delays.
ZURICH (Reuters) -Swiss watchmaker Swatch has begun selling a special edition watch with the numbers three and nine reversed on its face in a play on the 39% tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on U.S. imports from Switzerland last month.
The tariffs - among the highest set by Trump worldwide - were met with shock and dismay in Switzerland, a leading producer of high-end watches and other luxury goods.
Costing 139 Swiss francs ($175), the watch named "WHAT IF...TARIFFS?" went on sale on Wednesday and is only available in Switzerland, a company spokesperson said on Friday.
The spokesperson said the watch was made with a knowing "wink" and sent a wake-up call to the Swiss government, which so far has not managed to secure a reduction of the tariffs.
It aims to be a short-lived product, Swatch said.
"Because as soon as the U.S. changes its tariffs for Switzerland, we will immediately stop selling this watch," the spokesperson said, declining to say how many watches had so far been sold but calling the model "a huge success."
The Swatch website said delivery of the beige and blue watch could be delayed by one to two weeks due to what it called "very high demand". It is also available at nearly a dozen Swatch stores, including those at the airports of Zurich and Geneva.
The government of Switzerland has been seeking to negotiate lower tariffs with the Trump administration ever since the levies were announced.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick struck a fairly upbeat tone on the talks on Thursday, telling CNBC that his government would "probably get a deal done with Switzerland."
($1 = 0.7964 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Joe Bavier)
The watch named 'WHAT IF...TARIFFS?' costs 139 Swiss francs, which is approximately $175.
Swatch created the watch as a playful response to the 39% tariffs imposed by President Trump, featuring the numbers three and nine reversed.
Swatch stated that the watch aims to be a short-lived product and will stop selling it as soon as the U.S. changes its tariffs for Switzerland.
The Swiss government has been seeking to negotiate lower tariffs with the Trump administration since the levies were announced.
Howard Lutnick expressed an upbeat tone about the negotiations, stating that the U.S. government would probably get a deal done with Switzerland.
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