Geneva  - Swiss watch exports continued their declining trend, with the value falling by 26.1 per cent to 1.1 billion Swiss francs (1.09 billion dollars), according to data released Thursday.

"The base effect was again unfavourable for Swiss watch exports, with the trend failing to show any improvement in September," said the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.

The number of timepieces exported was down by about 1 million units in the last month. Since the beginning of the year, exports have registered a drop of 5.1 million watches, the federation said.

Hong Kong and the United States both imported less, as they have done in recent months, while China remained a strong market. (dpa)