Ethical Watch Manufacturers
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Cadmunky
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
Brighton, UK
Member since
Last active: 6 hrs ago
Wage and standard of living differences in different parts of the world...
A large part of what you're paying for with established "mainstream" brands is corporate property, wages, and name recognition. You are also paying extra to support a distribution system that depends on multiple small businesses to sell the items at a RRP that allows them to pay rent, and wages as well.
Ali Express brands function more like a microbrand than a large corporate watch brand, they sell direct to customer through a store site on Ali Express. Meaning they have less overhead to pay for, and being based in China they can pay less money for wages and still give their employees average pay for the region.
Think of it this way, in Ottawa right now it costs $1800-2200 CAD/month to rent a one bedroom apartment. If San Martin was made here, the price for them would be far higher than it is now.
Not sure if this falls into what you're asking about: https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/sustainability.html
Not sure if this falls into what you're asking about: https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/sustainability.html
Exactly. I imagine all major watch companies have a Corporate Social Responsibility statement/policy of some sort.
If course it depends on how many layers you peel off the onion.
How many of your contractors and their subcontractors do you audit for labour abuses? What counts as a labour abuse anyway? How traceable are your materials? How carbon intensive is the steel in your cases/watches? Was it produced using a modern, more efficient steel mill or a really old, dirty inefficient one?
SEAsia factories are a pandora's box. Both ends of the spectrum, ethical standards need to start at the top!