Analysis
HTS 9108.20.40 covers having over 17 jewels under heading 9108 (watch movements, complete and assembled).
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 40% of the 48 tariff lines in chapter 91, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Free here means free of the base duty only: origin-specific Chapter 99 duties such as Section 301 can still be owed.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing), an industry of 913 US establishments employing 34,818 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 17 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Every edition we compared, from Jan 2023 to Oct 2026 (Rev. 22), shows the same general rate of Free.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 9108.11.40 | Having no jewels or only one jewel | 36¢ each + 5.3% on the battery |
| 9108.11.80 | With mechanical display only or with a device to which a mechanical display can be incorporated: other | 72¢ each + 5.3% on the battery |
| 9108.12.00 | With opto-electronic display only | 3.1% on the movement + 4.2% on the battery |
| 9108.19.40 | Having no jewels or only one jewel | 28¢ each + 4.2% on the battery |
| 9108.19.80 | Other: other | 53¢ each + 3.9% on the battery |
| 9108.20.80 | With automatic winding: other | Free |
| 9108.90.10 | Measuring 33.8 mm or less | 29¢ each |
| 9108.90.20 | Having no jewels or only one jewel: other | 25¢ each |
| 9108.90.30 | Measuring 33.8 mm or less | 57¢ each |
| 9108.90.40 | Having over one jewel but not over 7 jewels: other | 25¢ each |
| 9108.90.50 | Measuring not over 15.2 mm | $2.16 each |
| 9108.90.60 | Measuring over 15.2 mm | $1.80 each |
| 9108.90.70 | Valued over $15 each | 90¢ each |
| 9108.90.80 | Valued not over $15 each | $1.44 each |
| 9108.90.85 | Valued over $15 each | Free |
| 9108.90.90 | Measuring 33.8 mm or less | $1.50 each |
| 9108.90.95 | Having over 17 jewels: other | $1.72 each |