Orient
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
Japanese brand of affordable mechanical watches.
Until Orient traces its gold and gemstones to the mine, it can't show that the miners who dig them are safe or fairly paid.
Better-graded watches
Graded higher than Orient, selling the same kinds of things.
No watches brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Orient? Send a right of reply.
Compare Orient with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 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 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in Thailand, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- 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
- 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 3
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- 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 Seiko Epson's countries across all its brands; Orient doesn't say where its own products are made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
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.
- Modern slavery statement
- 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 Orient watches are made in Seiko Epson's own factories, with in-house movements, in Japan (Akita Epson) and Southeast Asia; Seiko Epson's watch production is in Japan and Thailand, and it closed its Shenzhen watch parts plant in 2021. No shares by country are given. Epson's group supply chain policies and modern slavery statements apply, but no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment specific to its watches is published.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Orient's UK website links Seiko Epson's group Modern Slavery Act statements (latest for 2024/25); the Seiko UK statement covers Seiko-brand watches only and does not mention Orient. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Orient watches or the factories that make them were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Technology transfers at Epson (Europa Star, 2026) · search the archive · All Orient watches made in Epson's own factories in Japan (Akita Epson) and Southeast Asia, with in-house movements.
- Orient: the watch brand of Epson (Europa Star) · search the archive · Orient part of Seiko Epson since 2017; movements produced at Orient's facilities in Akita Prefecture.
- Seiko - Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement · search the archive · Statement to March 2026: Seiko Epson makes watches in Japan and Thailand; parts from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong.
- Epson to close Shenzhen watch parts plant (TechNews, 2019) · search the archive · Epson planned to close its Shenzhen watch parts plant by March 2021, moving production to Japan and Thailand.
- Orient watches at WatchCraze · search the archive · Australian online retailer selling Orient watches in AUD, with appointment-only showroom.
Published by Orient or its owner
- Orient Watch UK - Modern Slavery Act statement · search the archive · Orient UK site links Epson group Modern Slavery Act statements up to financial year 2024/25.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Orient ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/orient, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency 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 Orient.