The sales of pricey Swiss watches such as Rolex, Breitling and Omega have risen for the first time in eight years, defying the tough consumer market.

Steel luxury watches were the most bought, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.

“Watches priced at over Sh62,000 export price, which account for over a third of volumes grew uniformly in both value and number of items. The Sh25,000 to Sh62,500 range continued on a significant downward trend that has persisted almost uninterrupted since early 2020. Conversely, watches priced at under Sh25,000 recorded their sixth positive month of the year,” the federation said.

Total exports rose 8.3 percent in July compared to the same month in 2021 to Sh276 billion ($2.3 billion).

Africans have so far bought 88,941 pieces of Swiss luxury timepieces this year, representing a small market as Americans remain the top buyers, followed by Chinese, Hongkongers and Japanese.