For the fourth consecutive year, we are unveiling our annual study dedicated to the Swiss watchmaking industry. This new edition focuses on the digital transformation of watch brands and how they are rethinking their customer relationships through a multichannel approach.
Through an in-depth analysis of a panel of 40 major players, our team highlights the key trends and insights of this digital transition.
Web audiences stagnate in 2025, but investment remains robust
The panel’s web audience peaked at 41 million monthly visitors (-1% compared to 2024), but this stagnation masks regional disparities. Visitor numbers continue to rise in Asia (excluding China), particularly for Breitling, Cartier, Hublot, Officine Panerai, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin. On the other hand, there was a significant decline among Chinese visitors (particularly at Cartier), as well as among visitors from Europe and other Western countries (excluding the United States).
Digital media budgets, on the other hand, have risen sharply to over CHF 610 million a year (+22%), with a steady increase in social networking.
Customer-focused digital services…which are below expectations
Since last year, investment in mobile apps and customer experience has remained a priority for some watchmaking companies. Chaumet, Hublot and IWC are leading the way with new functions, while others are stepping up their efforts to update their apps. These developments are aimed at improving engagement and interaction with customers. Websites also remains the main showcase, and Audemars Piguet’s efforts to improve the performance of its website are noteworthy.
“These new digital services are a step in the right direction in terms of customer experience, but user feedback remains harsh, with an average rating on app stores that has remained low (1.9/5) for several years, and below that of other luxury sectors,” explains Jean Meneveau, Associate Director of Colombus Consulting.
Social networks on the rise again
The number of subscribers on social networks continues to rise (133 million, up 11%), but engagement is also increasing again after a year of decline in 2024, thanks to TikTok (more than 5.8 million annual engagements, up 18%).
Some brands are innovating by venturing onto networks with very specific codes: while Instagram remains the king network for watchmaking, this study shows that TikTok made a remarkable breakthrough last year, with brands such as Cartier, Chaumet and Bvlgari running operations that attracted tens of millions of views.
Chinese networks hold their own in a shrinking market
China was a market in sharp decline in 2024 (audience down 50%, and sales also down to 29%). Despite this fact, Chinese social networks are continuing to grow, particularly Sina Weibo with almost 10 million subscribers, up 7%. Some brands, such as Rolex, Tudor, Omega, Bvlgari and Vacheron Constantin, are continuing to invest, with nearly 90 million subscribers on these platforms.
NFTs and Blockchain for more pragmatic uses
NFTs and blockchain are entering a new age, with more concrete applications, such as traceability and the fight against counterfeiting at Rolex. At the end of 2024, Rolex launched its digital certificate system, integrating an NFC chip or a QR code to authenticate and track the history of watches.
Somewhat behind on AI?
With the notable exception of connected watches, AI is not widely applied to customer relations for major watch brands. However, related services such as customer knowledge and personalisation could benefit from this type of technology.
“While the potential of generative AI has become clear in terms of customer experience and relationships, watchmakers are still lagging behind other luxury sectors, often because of a lack of data, but also because of a strategic choice to better control relationships with their demanding customers,” says Jean Meneveau.
Neglected digital responsibility
In line with WWF reports over several years, watch manufacturers show little commitment to CSR. Our analysis of digital responsibility also shows that it remains underdeveloped. However, some initiatives are emerging, such as Rolex’s 2023 sustainability report. Previously used only internally since 2017, this publication makes Rolex an exception in the sector.
2025: a new impetus for Asia?
Asia remains a strategic region for the sector, with strong growth in India (+33% audience increase), and in Japan, where brands such as Cartier, Rolex and Omega are continuing to invest. On the other hand, China is slowing down for brands such as Cartier, Omega and Longines (with audience declines of between -70 and -25%), as anticipated in our 2024 report.
But overall, audiences and engagement on digital channels continue to grow on the Asian continent (over 40% audience growth). This is undoubtedly a strategic lever for capturing emerging trends and adjusting offers accordingly.
Methodology
We based this study on measurements taken between November 2024 and January 2025 on a panel of 38 major players in the Swiss watchmaking sector.
Richemont Group : Baume & Mercier, Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger LeCoultre, Länge & Sohne, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels
LVMH Group : Bvlgari, Chaumet, Hublot, TAG Heuer, Zenith
Rolex Group : Rolex, Tudor
Kering Group : Gucci, Ulysse Nardin
Swatch Group : Blancpain, Breguet, Longines, Mido, Omega, Rado, Swatch, Tissot
Others : Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Chopard, Franck Muller, Frederique Constant, Hermès, H. Moser & Cie, Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, Titoni, Victorinox
We offer a digital index to measure operators’ 360° digital presence and performance, based on 50 indicators:
- Website : audience, performance (bounce, visit time, loading time, core web vitals), customer experience (design, content and features) and digital responsibility (EcoIndex)
- Mobile apps : updates, comments and ratings, NPS (Net Promoter Score), referencing in stores
- Digital marketing : search engine optimization, display, email, social networks, partners
- Social networks : Facebook, Youtube, X (ex-Twitter), Tiktok, Instagram, LinkedIn, WeChat, Sina Weibo
Solutions used
We used various market data collection tools. We reworked all the data in the form of an index for a simple, visual benchmark of the sector. The solutions we chose were : Decodeapps, Alexa, Similar Web, Semrush, Built with, Google, PageSpeed Insights, EcoIndex, WeChat, Sina Weibo.
To find out more, have a look at our Luxury and Customer Value offers.