Rotary Watches
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 6 sources
London watch brand selling affordable quartz watches.
Until Rotary Watches 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 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 countries such as India and China, 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: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- 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 product labels; Rotary Watches doesn't say where its products are made. 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 |
| Hong Kong | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Low |
| 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.
- 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 Rotary names no production countries; product listings show its Les Originales range as Swiss made and a quartz model with a Japanese Miyota movement labelled as from Hong Kong, so no shares are known. Rotary says only that it uses a global source of materials and movements. Owner Peers Hardy (since 2025) and Rotary publish no supplier list, factory audits, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | Rotary and its UK owner Peers Hardy have no Australian reporting entity on the Modern Slavery Register. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Rotary's or Peers Hardy's watch suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Rotary GS05321/04 watch - John Lewis · search the archive · Quartz model with Miyota 1L45 movement; country of origin listed as Hong Kong.
- Rotary watch GS02375-01 - Shade Station Australia · search the archive · Australian storefront lists Rotary watches delivered duty-paid to Australia; checked models out of stock in November 2026.
Published by Rotary Watches or its owner
- A new chapter for Rotary (Rotary blog, April 2025) · search the archive · Rotary announced in April 2025 it had been acquired by Peers Hardy; online orders restricted to UK customers at first.
- About Rotary · search the archive · Headquartered in Britain; uses a 'global source of materials and movements'; no supplier or labour disclosures.
- Rotary Les Originales LS90513/41 · search the archive · Product titled 'Swiss Made Watch' with a Swiss made automatic movement
- Rotary Les Originals GB90517/01 · search the archive · 21-jewel Swiss made automatic movement; Rotary founded in Switzerland 1895, relocated to London
Company details
- Owned by
- Peers Hardy Group
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Rotary Watches ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/rotary, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Rotary Watches.