Swatch
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Swiss brand known for colourful plastic watches.
Swatch makes its plastic and fashion watches in its own factories in Switzerland, where legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It shows where its movements, cases and parts come from.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Swatch? Send a right of reply.
Compare Swatch with another brand
Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 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
- Met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneEarlier stages shown
- 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 Swatch'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
- Shows where its earlier production stages happen (materials and components), and they're in low-risk countries or independently audited
Research notes Swatch watches are Swiss Made, with movements produced by group company ETA at its Swiss sites, and Swatch Group is reported to make just about everything internally in Switzerland, including the all-Swiss Sistem51 mechanical movement. Its supplier code bans child labour and requires independent sourcing audits of supplier sites at least every two years. Swatch Group says primary gold came only from Australian industrial mines in 2023 to 2025 and its gold foundry Nivarox-FAR is RJC certified. It publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment, and does not name where straps come from.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | WWF's 2023 watch and jewellery rating placed Swatch Group brands in the 'upper midfield' for environmental and social practices. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Swatch has no competition in its Swiss-made watch segment (Swissinfo, 2024) · search the archive · Swatch Group produces just about everything internally; Sistem51 movements all made and assembled in Switzerland.
- 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.
- ETA - The motorist of time · search the archive · ETA produces Swatch watch movements and assembles movements and watches at Swiss sites including Grenchen.
- Watchonista: Sistem51, industrial excellence in Swatch Group style · search the archive · Sistem51 components produced solely by the Group and exclusively in Switzerland, with ETA and Nivarox involved
Published by Swatch or its owner
- Swatch Group - Sourcing of materials · search the archive · Primary gold 100% from Australian industrial mines 2023-2025; Nivarox-FAR RJC certified; supplier sites audited at least every two years.
- Swatch Group: Nivarox-FAR · search the archive · Nivarox-FAR makes balance springs (hairsprings), balances, pallets and escape wheels at four plants in the Swiss Jura; HQ Le Locle
- Swatch Group: Swatch Sistem51 (2013 press release) · search the archive · Sistem51 is 100% Swiss made
Company details
- Owned by
- The Swatch Group
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Swatch ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/swatch, 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 Swatch.