Ulysse Nardin
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Swiss luxury watchmaker known for Marine watches.
Until Ulysse Nardin 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 Ulysse Nardin, selling the same kinds of things.
No watches brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far.
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Compare Ulysse Nardin with another brand
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 India, China and Thailand.
- 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
- 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
- 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
From Ulysse Nardin's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories. Its list covers only part of its range. 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 |
| 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.
- Owns or runs its own production
- 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 Ulysse Nardin makes its watches at its own manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland, and says 90% of the components it buys in come from suppliers within 100 km. It says all the gold it uses is 'responsible gold' and uses recycled steel and carbon in some models, but does not say how its gold or gems are sourced or certified, and it left the Responsible Jewellery Council in May 2023. Its parent Sowind Group, which had about 410 staff in 2025, publishes no supplier list, human rights policy, audit results or living wage commitment, and was not among the brands in WWF Switzerland's 2023 watch and jewellery rating.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Unclear | No labour abuse allegations involving Ulysse Nardin's workshops or suppliers were identified. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Resigned Members - Responsible Jewellery Council · search the archive · Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin both resigned from the RJC on 16 May 2023 (list updated Feb 2026).
- Girard-Perregaux und Ulysse Nardin: Stellenabbau bei Sowind (cash.ch, Nov 2025) · search the archive · Sowind had 410 staff worldwide; Ulysse Nardin based in Le Locle; brands sold by Kering to management in 2022.
- Jewelry and Watch Brands Must Be More Transparent, Says WWF (Rapaport, 2023) · search the archive · Lists the 21 brands in WWF Switzerland's 2023 watch and jewellery rating; Sowind brands, Richard Mille and Fabergé are not among them.
- Sowind Group (Grail Watch wiki) · search the archive · Kering sold its entire Sowind stake (Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin) to management in 2022; group independent since.
- The Hour Glass Australia · search the archive · Australian watch retailer with Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane boutiques promoting Ulysse Nardin Freak watches.
- Ulysse Nardin and The Hour Glass takeover Bondi Icebergs pool in Sydney (Senatus) · search the archive · Ulysse Nardin launched the Freak One in Sydney with retailer The Hour Glass.
Published by Ulysse Nardin or its owner
- Ulysse Nardin - Our commitments · search the archive · 100% responsible gold; 90% of bought-in components from suppliers within 100 km; recycled steel, Carbonium and Nylo in some models.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ulysse Nardin ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ulysse-nardin, 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 Ulysse Nardin.