Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Los Angeles brand selling affordable watches and sunglasses.
Until MVMT 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 China, India and Thailand.
- 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
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- 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
These are Movado Group's countries across all its brands; MVMT doesn't say where its own products are made. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| 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 |
| SwitzerlandUsual for the industry | 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.
- Independent social audits of all its main factories
- 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 MVMT watches are designed in-house and made by independent contractors in Asia, with product development run by Movado Group's Asia operations; Movado owns no factories and says the vast majority of its Asian volume comes from China, but names no MVMT factories or shares. Group auditor SCSA audited 19 higher-risk factories in 2024, finding working-time and safety problems and 17-year-old dispatch workers, handled through corrective plans. No supplier list, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not covered | Watch brands are not assessed in Baptist World Aid's Ethical Fashion Report; neither MVMT nor Movado Group is in the 2026 edition. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving MVMT's or Movado Group's suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Movado Group Form 10-K (FY2026) · search the archive · Owns MVMT (bought 2018); MVMT made by independent contractors in Asia; over 80% of group units from Asia, mostly China.
- MVMT Watches - Wikipedia · search the archive · Los Angeles headquarters; founded 2013 by Jake Kassan and Kramer LaPlante; quartz watches and sunglasses; owned by Movado.
Published by MVMT or its owner
- Movado Group Corporate Responsibility Report 2025 · search the archive · SCSA audited 19 higher-risk factories; working-time, safety and 17-year-old worker findings with corrective plans; RJC member since 2024.
- Movado Group Corporate Responsibility Report 2024 · search the archive · Group runs third-party social audits of key finished-goods suppliers since 2008.
- Movado Group - Vendor policies · search the archive · Group publishes a 2025 vendor code of conduct and conflict minerals policy.
- MVMT official website · search the archive · Country selector includes Australia with prices in AUD for online orders.
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is MVMT ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mvmt, 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 MVMT.