Luminox
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Watch brand known for tritium-lit Navy SEAL dive watches.
Until Luminox 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 2 of 6 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 underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its products are made: worker rights are poorly protected in India, China and Thailand.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- 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 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- 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 Luminox's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ItalyUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to 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
- 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 Luminox watches are developed and assembled at the Mondaine Group's own factory in Biberist, Switzerland, where the tritium tubes are hand-mounted; the group employed about 100 people at the end of 2024, 65 of them in Switzerland. Its purchased components come from Asia, mostly shipped from China, and suppliers must sign a code of conduct based on ILO principles that bans child labour and exploitation and requires safe workplaces and paid overtime, monitored through company visits rather than independent audits. Luminox uses no gold or diamonds and buys cow leather from Leather Working Group certified suppliers. No supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment is published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Luminox or the Mondaine Group's suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Luminox finds a new home at DGA (Jeweller Magazine) · search the archive · Duraflex Group Australia distributes Luminox to Australian jewellery and watch retailers
- A Moment at Mondaine (Insight Luxury, 2025) · search the archive · Luminox is part of the Mondaine Watch Group; separate production lines per brand at Biberist; about 1,000 tritium tubes hand-mounted in a darkroom
Published by Luminox or its owner
- Mondaine Group Sustainability Report 2024 · search the archive · About 100 staff (65 in Switzerland); ILO-based supplier code; components bought in Asia; assembled at the group's own Biberist factory; no gold or diamonds; LWG cow leather
- Mondaine Group - about the company · search the archive · Group brands Mondaine, M+Watch, Luminox and Pierre Cardin; factory in Biberist built 2009; HQ in Pfaffikon, Switzerland; code of conduct and CSR policy referenced
- Luminox - Swiss Made · search the archive · Luminox says its watches are hand produced and tested in its Swiss factory
Company details
- Owned by
- Mondaine Group (Bernheim family)
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Employees
- About 100
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Luminox ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/luminox, 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 Luminox.