A watch ticks, a fanfare swells, a shrill alarm sounds and a deep voice intones, “Good morning, Mr President.” In this television ad, Swiss watchmaker Vulcain airs pride in its presidential history — Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson were all fans of Vulcain and every successive president except George W Bush has owned one.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Donald Trump
, the incoming US president, will help the watchmaking industry or worsen the problems Swiss manufacturers have experienced since 2014. Exports, according to the Swiss watch industry federation, are down 10.3 per cent in the two years to November 2016 and by 28 per cent in Hong Kong and 22 per cent in the US, the two biggest markets.