Breitling
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Swiss luxury watchmaker known for Navitimer and Superocean watches.
Breitling makes its luxury wristwatches in its own factories in Switzerland, where legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It uses lab-grown stones.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 5 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Switzerland are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: watch movements, cases and dials, and cast or set parts
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: Conflict-free: diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough)
Red flags 0
None found.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Open supply chain | |
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Breitling's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Passes the raw-material check for jewellery and watches: conflict-free diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough).
- Owns or runs its own production
- Uses high-risk raw materials such as tanned leather, mica or artisanal gold.
- Traces high-risk raw materials to the mine or farm and fixes problems found
- Uses lab-grown diamonds or gemstones
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- "Made in Switzerland" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, watch movements, cases and dials, and cast or set parts can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good.
Research notes Breitling makes its in-house movements and assembles and cases its watches at its own manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, also using some Sellita movements. It uses gold from artisanal and small-scale mines meeting Swiss Better Gold Association criteria, traced to selected mines and paying a community premium of US$1.35 a gram, and only lab-grown diamonds made in Gujarat, India, with a premium funding education there. It has a supplier code and asks suppliers to complete EcoVadis assessments, but publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Breitling's factories or suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Breitling to use only lab-grown diamonds, traceable gold (JCK) · search the archive · Aim for all gold traceable to artisanal mines meeting Swiss Better Gold Association criteria by 2025; lab-grown diamonds from Fenix, India.
- Visit to the Breitling manufacture (Swisswatches Magazine) · search the archive · Movements made and watches assembled and cased at Breitling Chronometrie, La Chaux-de-Fonds; 320 staff there; some Sellita movements.
- Breitling's 2025 sustainability mission report (WorldTempus) · search the archive · US$1.35 per gram to gold mining communities; CHF 30 per lab-grown carat; diamonds grown and cut in Gujarat, India; 45 graduates.
- Breitling sustainability case study (CVC) · search the archive · Supplier Code of Conduct; suppliers invited to annual EcoVadis assessment.
Published by Breitling or its owner
- Breitling - Sustainability · search the archive · Artisanal and small-scale gold and lab-grown diamonds fully traceable to selected producers; Better Gold and Better Diamond Funds; supplier code.
- Breitling Boutique Chadstone · search the archive · Breitling has its own boutique at Chadstone, Melbourne.
Company details
- Owned by
- Partners Group (majority owner)
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Breitling ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/breitling, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Breitling.