Swatch has released a watch that not-so subtly references Trump’s tariffs, and it could go on to become a collector’s item.
The rectangular-faced watch swaps the “3” and “9” face markings in a nod to the 39% tariffs currently imposed on Swiss products imported into the US. Swatch’s headquarters is based in Biel, Switzerland.
Swatch’s satirical timepiece is only available in Switzerland, but is already proving to be a big seller, according to a Swatch spokesperson. The watch, dubbed “WHAT IF… TARIFFS?” went on sale last week.
But it may not be available for long.
“As soon as the US changes its tariffs for Switzerland, we will immediately stop selling this watch,” a Swatch spokesperson told Reuters.
The watch costs 139 Swiss Francs, equivalent to just under £129 by today’s direct currency conversion. “Hopefully, just a limited edition,” reads the watch’s own product page.
It has a blue face, a beige bioceramic casing and measures 41.8mm by 33.25mm. WHAT IF… TARIFFS? Is 10.5mm thick and uses a standard Quartz movement.
This is a tweaked version of a watch you can get hold of freely in the UK, the WHAT IF… BEIGE, which costs £96 and has a date display in place of the “9” marker. And in the original, the “9” is of course, in the correct place.
If you’re doing any travelling over the next few weeks, the WHAT IF… TARIFFS? watch is apparently stocked at key Swiss airport Swatch stores, including in Zurich and Geneva. By the sounds of it, though, there’s a decent chance it may be out of stock when you arrive.
In a recent interview with the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek said the brand plans to increase its prices for the US market by somewhere in the region of 5-15%.
Trump announced his 39% tariffs for Swiss products imported to the US in August, far higher than the current 10% tariff imposed on UK exports.
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