Hamilton
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Swatch Group brand selling Swiss-made field and pilot watches.
Hamilton makes its mid-priced watches in its own factories in Switzerland, where legal wages are about a living wage.
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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 |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Hamilton'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
- "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 Hamilton moved its headquarters and production from the United States to Biel, Switzerland, after joining the Swatch Group; its watches are Swiss made and use movements built on Swatch Group ETA calibres such as the H-10. Swatch Group says primary gold comes only from certified industrial mines (all from Australia in 2023-2025), origin-tested by trace-element analysis, and its gold foundry Nivarox-FAR is RJC certified. Its supplier code bans child labour and requires independent sourcing audits of supplier sites every two years, but it publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | WWF's 2023 watch and jewellery rating placed Swatch Group brands, including Hamilton, in the 'upper midfield' for environmental and social practices. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | Its Swatch Group company page lists no labour abuse allegations about the group's factories or suppliers. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Jewelry and Watch Brands Must Be More Transparent, Says WWF (Rapaport, 2023) · search the archive · WWF 2023 rating placed Swatch Group brands in the upper midfield.
- Swatch Group - Hamilton · search the archive · Hamilton International Ltd is based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland; its watches are crafted in Switzerland.
- Hamilton Caliber H-10 (Caliber Corner) · search the archive · Hamilton's H-10 movement is Swiss made, based on the ETA C07.611.
- A conversation with Hamilton CEO Vivian Stauffer (Timefiles, 2022) · search the archive · Hamilton is headquartered in Bienne (Biel), Switzerland.
- Swatch Group - Sourcing of materials · search the archive · Primary gold 100% from Australian mines in 2023-2025, origin-tested; Nivarox-FAR RJC certified; supplier sites audited at least every two years.
Published by Hamilton or its owner
- Hamilton store locator - David Jones Elizabeth Street · search the archive · David Jones Elizabeth Street, Sydney, is an official Hamilton retailer.
Company details
- Owned by
- The Swatch Group
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Hamilton ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/hamilton-watch, 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 Hamilton.