US Watch and Jewelry Sales Rise Slightly in April
June 04, 25
(IDEX Online) - Watch and jewelry sales in the US rose slightly again in April according to the latest Department of Commerce figures, as long-term consumer caution was compounded by uncertainty over the introduction of reciprocal tariffs.
The 0.8 per cent rise was larger than May, at just 0.2 per cent, but still modest. During 2024 sales increased, on average, by just over 5 per cent a month. In the first four months of 2025 the average rise in sales was 0.15 per cent.
The US economy showed signs of moderate inflation easing during the month, with headline inflation at 2.3 per cent, its lowest for over three years, but consumer spending still depressed, up by just 0.2 per cent.
It increased by 0.7 per cent in March, but that was largely driven by a rush to buy cars before US reciprocal tariffs forced prices up.
Revisions to March figures put watch and jewelry sales at +0.2 per cent, rather than +0.4 per cent, as reported last month, based on actual rather than forecast transactions.
February was revised down from +0.3 per cent to +0.2 per cent, while January was revised up from -1.0 per cent to -0.6 per cent.
Jewelry sales in the US are still increasing, albeit gradually. As the graph below shows, 2024 was a better year than 2023. There has been some growth in 2025, but so far it's slow.
Jewelry sales in the US rose by 0.9 per cent during April, compared to a 0.4 per cent increase in March, but watch sales remained unchanged from the same month last year (0.0 per cent). There was a 149 per cent surge in Swiss watch exports to the US, but that was importers rushing to beat tariff deadlines, rather than consumers rushing to make purchases. The overall increase in sales of watches and jewelry for April was 0.8 per cent, compared to a 0.2 per cent rise in March.
