{
  "id": 5754725,
  "title": "Luxury watchmakers face a Gen-Z problem",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/luxury-watchmakers-face-a-gen-z-problem",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-05T08:27:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fashion-/-cosmetics-/-jewellery/luxury-watchmakers-say-gen-z-buying-trends-call-for-bold-changes/articleshow/133793680.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The luxury watch industry finds itself facing a challenge posed by younger consumers, known as Gen-Z, as they grapple with a shrinking market and stiff competition. Traditionally, Swiss watchmakers have focused on increasing revenue by selling fewer, yet more expensive timepieces, but this strategy is no longer proving effective. At the annual watch world gathering in Geneva, industry executives worry that their strategy is reaching its limits, as younger customers have different preferences and less disposable income to spend on high-end watches. The industry’s exports have plummeted from 25.4 million timepieces in 2016 to just 14.6 million in 2021. Jean-Christophe Babin, president of Geneva Watch Days and chairman of Bulgari, attributes the decline to younger consumers' changing attitudes towards luxury watches and the emergence of new competitors. He insists that the industry needs more groundbreaking innovation and ideas to attract new customers, rather than merely raising prices. Gen-Z and young millennials are more interested in excitement, emotional connection, and discovery, rather than status and brand loyalty. To capture this new market, watchmakers must step out of their comfort zone and offer bold, disruptive ideas, lest they risk being displaced by Chinese and Japanese competitors.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}