Longines
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 5 sources
Swiss watchmaker known for classic and sports watches.
Longines makes its wristwatches 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 Longines'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 Longines assembles its watches in its own factory in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, using movements made for it by Swatch Group's ETA. Swatch Group says primary gold comes only from certified industrial mines (all from Australia in 2023 to 2025), origin-tested by a Swiss refinery, 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 Longines, in the 'upper midfield' for environmental and social practices. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Longines' factories or suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 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.
- Longines opens flagship boutique in Sydney CBD (Inside Retail) · search the archive · Longines has its own flagship boutique in Sydney.
- Longines Has Just Produced its 50 Millionth Watch (SJX) · search the archive · Longines watches are assembled in its own Saint-Imier factory with movements made by ETA exclusively for Longines.
- Swatch Group - Sourcing of materials · search the archive · Primary gold 100% from Australian industrial mines in 2023-2025; Nivarox-FAR RJC CoP and CoC certified; supplier sites audited at least every two years.
Published by Longines or its owner
- Longines - Human Resources · search the archive · Based in Saint-Imier since 1832; nearly 560 staff in Switzerland and about 740 outside Switzerland (about 1,300 in all).
Company details
- Owned by
- The Swatch Group
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Employees
- About 1,300
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Longines ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/longines, 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 Longines.