Finding a private label watch manufacturer can be easy and difficult. It is easy because you can find hundreds of suppliers at your service on big B2B platforms like Alibaba; it is difficult as well because the supplier can create problems so often in fulfilling your order that you have to search for alternative suppliers for future orders. This post will list a few things you should consider before entering into a partnership.
Location Matters
You definitely do not want to work with a “middle man” or what is often referred to as a trading company. One way to avoid it is to check out the location of your supplier. The vast majority of watch manufacturers in China are based in Shenzhen, a city bordering Hong Kong, and a small number in Guangzhou, a neighbor city. If your supplier is based in other cities, it is very likely to be a trading company. Moreover, real watch manufacturers are often in a facility in a remote industrial area, rather than in a downtown office building.
A Common Lie
New brand owners tend to ask the manufacturers if they do all the watch parts in-house, and the answer they get is always a “yes”. However, this is a common lie.
There are so many watch parts and procedures necessary for private label watches that a factory alone can never handle all of them. Shenzhen is a watchmaking industry center, because it has watch casing factories, watch hand factories, watch face factories, strap factories, and even crown factories. Each of these chains require expertise, machines and staff. In this sense, watchmaking is teamwork. When you work with private label watch suppliers, you actually work with their supply chains.
So next time your suppliers say they can make all the watch parts in-house, you will know they are telling a lie. Of course, we Ascend Watches team are honest people. We would like to admit that we have partner factories to produce our watch parts, but this is the only possible solution. At our own facility, we primarily do the QC testing, assembling, and shipping.
Studying Quotations Closely
Some buyers tend to ask for quotations from several suppliers, then compare and choose the lowest offers. This is a common mistake, because the watch parts used can make a big difference to the pricing.
There are two watch part details you should pay close attention to. One is the case material. For good and luxury watches, the case material is 316L (surgical grade) stainless steel; for cheap watches, it is zinc alloy, which is softer and lighter. The other spec worthy of notice is the glass cover. Sapphire is much more expensive and used in luxury watches. For most watches, hardened mineral glass is used. The latter is easily scratched, though. Make sure you check these two specs before making a conclusion.
Swiss Made Private Label Watches
Many people wonder – are Swiss made watches all made in the Switzerland? Of course not. Sometimes it is more of a marketing strategy. When people see the texts “Made in Swiss” on the watch face or back, they tend to take it as true. A few Swiss movement brands have facilities in the Far East, and the movements made there will be labeled “Far East Assembly”. Such movements are functionally the same as those made in Swiss but slightly cheaper.
Another way of making private label Swiss watches is to get all the watch parts made here in China and then ship them to the Switzerland. You only need to find a Swiss watch company to assemble and ship them. Outsourcing always give your brand a competitive edge.
Closing Remarks
Hope this post is helpful in some way. If you are looking for your private label watch manufacturers, we Ascend team are right here for you. We cherish transparency more than anything else. Have any urgent request? Just click the message box at the right bottom of the screen.