GENEVA: Swiss watch exports posted the biggest quarterly drop since 2009 as the industry faces declining demand in all its main markets.
Shipments dropped 8.9 percent in the first quarter, adjusted for working days, according to data from Switzerland’s customs office. The decline in March was 16 percent, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said in a separate statement.
‘‘The main markets were particularly hard hit,’’ the trade group said. The declines were 38 percent in Hong Kong, 33 percent in the U.S. and 14 percent in China.
