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Raymond Weil CEO Elie Bernheim says the brand is growing while some larger watchmakers face difficulties. His explanation is a deliberate strategy: stay in the price tier the company knows, broaden its collections and markets, and give buyers a value-focused alternative. The account is a management explanation, not proof of a turnaround in audited results.
How severe is the Swiss watch downturn?
The industry has faced a measurable export slowdown. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) reported that Swiss watch exports fell 1.7% year over year to CHF 25.6 billion in 2025, the second consecutive annual decline. Export volume dropped 4.8% to 14.6 million watches. In the first half of 2026, exports totaled CHF 12.8 billion, down 0.7% from the same period a year earlier.
Those are export figures, not sales to end consumers, and they cannot show how any single brand performed. They establish a difficult industry backdrop, not that Raymond Weil outperformed competitors. The FH also described 2026 as likely to be relatively stable compared with 2025, while uncertainty remained high.
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In 2025, FH export value for watches in the CHF 500–3,000 export-price segment was stable. Exports below CHF 500 fell 4.5%, while those above CHF 3,000 fell 1.9%. In the first half of 2026, the CHF 500–3,000 segment declined 5.7%. These are export-price bands, not retail price brackets, so they should not be treated as direct equivalents to Raymond Weil’s stated customer price range.
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What is Raymond Weil’s strategy?
Keep a clear price boundary
In an October 2, 2026 interview with Luc Wiesman of DMARGE, Bernheim said Raymond Weil’s market is US$1,000–4,000, with the business core at US$1,500–3,000. He described watches above US$5,000 as “out of our galaxy.” His central argument is that the company did not chase higher prices during the boom and then pivot to cheaper products when conditions worsened.
“We did not go up when the economy was booming, and then suddenly change direction to something more affordable because things were negative,” Bernheim said. “We are who we are.”
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- the black dial and ceramic rotating tachometer bezel add contrast to the stainless steel bracelet and case
- Sapphire crystal
- Swiss-automatic Movement
- Case Diameter: 42.5mm
- Diver’s 300m (984ft) watch: in general, suitable for mixed-gas diving
The price boundaries are Bernheim’s description of the brand’s positioning, not a universal price list. Le Temps described Raymond Weil in 2024 as operating in a CHF 1,000–5,000 segment. Different currencies, dates and pricing measures mean those ranges should not be merged into one fixed global figure.
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Bernheim said he reconsidered the business during the pandemic, broadened collection development and aimed to build a brand with worldwide appeal rather than depend heavily on the United States and United Kingdom, which he said had represented half of turnover at the time. The Millésime was the first watch to emerge from that reset and was designed to appeal to watch enthusiasts.
Rank #3
- Chronograph
- Automatic
- Swiss-automatic Movement
- Case Diameter: 42mm
- Water resistant to 100m (330ft): in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
In a 2025 WatchTime India interview, Bernheim described the Freelancer as the long-standing flagship and the Millésime as a complement intended to attract a different consumer profile. The Millésime therefore fits the strategy as product diversification, not as evidence by itself that the business has grown.
Seek growth beyond a few markets
Bernheim said China accounted for less than 1% of Raymond Weil turnover, limiting the company’s direct exposure when that market weakened. He also said Japan opened up after the launch of a 35mm Millésime and that Southeast Asia improved. A 2025 Bilanz profile reported growth in France, Italy, Japan, Korea and Taiwan and quoted Bernheim as reporting growth in each year from 2021 through 2024. These are company-related claims reported in interviews and profiles; an independently audited geographic sales breakdown is not available in those accounts.
Rank #4
- Diver
- Ceramic Bezel
- Swiss-automatic Movement
- Case Diameter: 42mm
- Diver’s 300m (984ft) watch: in general, suitable for mixed-gas diving
Make value and retail fit part of the pitch
Bernheim’s account is that retailers seeking an entry-level watch brand have shown more interest as buyers place greater weight on value. That proposition is consistent with the company’s stated price boundaries, but it does not establish how much of the reported growth comes from retailer demand or consumer purchases.
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Best Value
- Automatic
- Yellow PVD Case
- Swiss-automatic Movement
- Case Diameter: 39.5mm
- Water resistant to 50m (165ft: in general, suitable for short periods of recreational swimming, but not diving or snorkeling
What the available performance figures do—and do not—show
Bernheim told DMARGE, “Big names are in trouble or difficulties, and we are growing.” He also said the company is profitable and linked that profitability to its continued independence. Those are statements from the CEO, not publicly audited financial results established by the sources discussed here.
Bilanz reported an estimated CHF 65 million in revenue, attributing the estimate to Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult. The figure is not company-disclosed audited revenue. The same profile said the Freelancer accounts for 40% of sales; that, too, is a reported figure rather than an audited company disclosure. Without comparable audited brand results, there is no sound basis here for ranking Raymond Weil’s performance against larger or more premium watchmakers.
What the strategy means for a Millésime buyer
A Raymond Weil Millésime is a concrete expression of the collection strategy Bernheim describes: a line developed to complement the Freelancer and appeal to a different buyer, including watch enthusiasts. That context can help explain why the collection matters to the company’s positioning, but it is not evidence that the watch is right for every buyer or that the collection caused business growth. Model specifications and current prices depend on the particular watch and retailer.
Why Bernheim says the company has to keep changing
The strategy combines consistency on price with adaptation in products and markets. Bernheim’s message is not that a stable price tier guarantees success, but that the brand should evolve without abandoning its intended place in the market. As he put it in the DMARGE interview: “If you feel that things will never change, you’re over.”
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