Frederique Constant
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 4 sources
Geneva watchmaker selling Classics and Highlife watches.
Until Frederique Constant traces its gold and gemstones to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 4 of 7 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace. That alone means a poor grade until it takes steps to trace them.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually unprotected.
Good requirements 4 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
- Not 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 1
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't trace
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Frederique Constant'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
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: gold and gemstone mining are linked to child labour, forced labour and mercury poisoning.
- Owns or runs its own production
- "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.
- Relies on gold and gemstones from artisanal mines where workers face mercury poisoning, silica dust and deadly collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Frederique Constant assembles its watches at its own manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, enlarged to 6,200 square metres in 2019, where it also makes its in-house calibres. It has published a sustainability report focused on packaging, transport and staff initiatives and says it wants traceable gold and diamonds, but it publishes no supplier list, code of conduct, audit results or living wage commitment, and does not name the countries that supply its cases, dials and other parts. Its parent Citizen audits some Chinese watch suppliers with its own checklist but publishes no independent results, and its reporting does not mention Frederique Constant.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Frederique Constant's manufacture or suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 4
Show all 4 sources
- Frederique Constant expands Plan-les-Ouates factory (Professional Watches, 2019) · search the archive · Manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates grew to 6,200 m2 with production workshops; 28 in-house calibres; owned by Citizen since 2016.
- How Frederique Constant is shaping sustainable luxury (Your Luxury Africa) · search the archive · First sustainability report covered packaging, transport and staff; CEO names gold and diamonds as main impact and traceability as the aim.
- Citizen Group - Sustainable procurement · search the archive · Group audits of Chinese watch suppliers since FY2023 (6 in FY2025), 17 supplier audits group-wide; Swiss subsidiaries not mentioned.
- Swiss watches - Wallace Bishop · search the archive · Australian jewellery chain Wallace Bishop stocks 46 Frederique Constant watches.
Company details
- Owned by
- Citizen Watch Co.
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Frederique Constant ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/frederique-constant, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded watches
No watches brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Frederique Constant.