Timex
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
US brand of affordable analogue and sports watches.
Timex can't show that the workers who make its products in the Philippines earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- 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 the Philippines and India, 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 traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- 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
Timex names some of the countries it makes in: the Philippines. The rest is shown as where jewellery and watches are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| 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 |
| 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.
- Makes part of its range in its own 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 Timex says more than 80% of the Timex watches sold worldwide are made, fully or in final assembly, and/or shipped from its own factory in Cebu, Philippines (TMX Philippines, over 1,300 workers), which makes dials, hands, movements and finished watches. Because that figure includes watches only shipped from Cebu, the share made there is not known, and where the other watches and many parts are made is not disclosed. Timex publishes no supplier list, audit results, modern slavery statement or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Timex's factories or suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Timex Group acquires Daniel Wellington (FashionNetwork, July 2026) · search the archive · Timex Group took full ownership of Daniel Wellington in 2026; no Seiko involvement mentioned.
- Timex 170th anniversary in Australia (Jeweller Magazine) · search the archive · Distributed by Designa Accessories; stocked at Myer stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and Wallace Bishop in Brisbane.
- 45 years later, this factory in Cebu still makes watches (Manila Bulletin, 2024) · search the archive · Cebu plant makes dials, hands, movements and does final assembly; over 1,300 workers per PEZA.
- Middlebury's Timex Group sells majority stake to Boston investment firm (Hartford Business) · search the archive · Timex Group majority stake sold to The Baupost Group.
Published by Timex or its owner
- Timex - Watchmaking · search the archive · Cebu factory (TMX Phil., since 1979) is Timex Group's main manufacturing arm; over 80% of Timex watches made and/or shipped from Cebu.
Company details
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Timex ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/timex, 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 Timex.