India’s contribution to Rado’s global sales in double digits: CEO Adrian Bosshard

Swiss watchmaker Rado is bullish on India, its biggest market which clocked high double-digit growth in 2025, as China sees a slowdown in luxury goods sales. In an interview with Business Today, Rado CEO Adrian Bosshard talks about how several luxury watch brands, after losing business in China last year, are now jumping to India and why he is upbeat on the Indian market—which contributes a double-digit share to Rado’s global sales among the 80-odd countries where the luxury watch brand is present in. Edited excerpts:

How strategic is the Indian market for Rado? How has your view of the market evolved over the years?

For Rado, India was always one of the very strategic markets. Even when I look into the history books, I see that from the 1950s, the management took a wise: India is a big country, and we want to start early there in order to be ready for the future.

Thanks to this decision, the brand has grown substantially, especially during the last 10 years, the brand has made impressive strides here. As economy grew, the demand for luxury watches has exponentially grown in the last couple of years.

How did India emerge as the biggest market for Rado, ahead of the US and China?

It’s due to the fact that Rado has been present here since decades, with strong network, partners and customer service. There is a lot of brand awareness. We can now take advantage with our strong presence in India. The competition is big, but despite that we are dominating the price segment between 1,000 and 5,000 Swiss Francs.

Many brands saw that trees are not growing to the sky in China. A lot of brands, who lost business in China last year, are now jumping to India. In India, you need a lot of trust and confidence from the customers.

We are looking to grow the business qualitatively in terms of sales and distribution.

What excites you the most about the Indian market?

It’s the dynamism. The Indian customer is more emotional than other customers. They buy a watch for specific reasons like an anniversary, a milestone in their life, or as wedding gifts. It is more prevalent in India than in other countries.

How do traditional watchmakers plan to stay relevant in a market where a lot of consumers buy smartwatches?

A smartwatch and a traditional watch are two different worlds. When you buy a smartwatch, it’s like buying a mobile phone. It’s a consumption good without soul. When it is obsolete, we put it away. Buying a traditional watch is like buying an artwork.

What kind of growth did you see in India last year? What are your expectations for this year?

India was one of the regions which faced no specific challenge. It was a very healthy year for Rado in India with high double-digit growth. We started 2026 with same trend. I am very confident for 2026 globally, but especially in India because India has a stable government and young working population.

With the depreciation of the Indian rupee, do you expect luxury watches to get more expensive in India?

In the mid-term, luxury watches may get more expensive. This is something we cannot influence. What we can influence is production prices in Switzerland. There we are making efforts to keep the production cost on the level where they are. We are really doing everything to keep the starting price point of around Rs 1 lakh. Despite a little bit higher price due to rupee devaluation, customers will still buy luxury watches.

What percentage of Rado buyers are men versus women globally. What’s the ratio in India?

Globally, half of Rado customers are women while the other half are men. In India, it is 40% women and 60% men. The share is more male oriented in India, but we are working to grow the women segment.

Which are your Top 5 markets? What is the contribution of India to Rado’s global sales?

India is the No.1 market for Rado. Switzerland is the second biggest market. The number 3 market is the US. The fourth-largest market is the UAE. A lot of Indians buy in the UAE. The fifth largest market is China. India’s contribution to total global sales is in double digits.

In 2025, which markets performed better? Is the slowdown in China’s luxury goods market still a concern?

Despite all trade and tariff challenges, the US saw the highest growth in 2025. India was also comparable. The good news is that both these markets are big markets. China was a little difficult last year. It needs a little bit more time because of the real estate slowdown, China lost a bit confidence. But it will come back. I believe that the rebound will happen by the end of this year.

What is your market share in the 1000-5000 Swiss Francs segment?

We have more than 50 percent of market share. That means in this price segment out of 100 watches imported, 50 are Rado watches. The other brands are sharing the rest. We are dominating the market in this segment.

How many stores do you have in India? Do you plan to expand further?

We have 34 Rado boutiques. We have around 210 points of sales across the country.