In December, the main materials showed an upward trend. Watches manufactured from precious metals showed the strongest gains, while steel fell just short of a two-digit increase. In volume terms, steel remained stable. Gold timepieces were particularly buoyant. The categories of other metals and other materials also contributed to the general increase.
Growth in the number of wristwatches in December was proportional to their price. Watches costing less than 200 francs (export price) recorded a slight downturn in volume terms, with their value stable in relation to December 2010. Between 200 and 3,000 francs, value increased by 10.4%. Timepieces costing more than 3,000 francs proved most dynamic with an increase of 27.1% by value and 20.5% by volume.
Strong overall growth was apparent in many markets. Hong Kong, the United States and China did better than average, with rates of increase in excess of 20%. Benefiting from a favourable base effect and very strong demand, Singapore more than doubled its monthly value. The main European markets generally recorded below-average performances: France rose by a few points, Italy (+17.6%) produced the best result, and Germany (+8.0%) remained in decline. In sixth position, Japan continued its gradual recovery.
