SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sustainability is becoming a broader consideration in global watchmaking as brands and manufacturers look beyond material selection to product durability, manufacturing quality, packaging and other stages of the product lifecycle. Against this backdrop, VDEAR is developing a lifecycle-oriented manufacturing approach that brings these considerations into its OEM and ODM production processes.

Sustainability Across the Watch Lifecycle

The shift reflects a wider change across the watch and jewelry industry. The Watch & jewelry Initiative 2030 (WJI 2030) continues to promote action around climate resilience, resource preservation and responsible practices across the value chain, while individual watchmakers are increasingly using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to examine the environmental impact of products from raw materials through production and packaging.

A 2024 sustainability report published by a leading watchmaking group, for example, included LCA studies covering raw materials, component production, assembly, packaging and inbound transportation. The findings have informed its focus on material selection, packaging optimization, logistics and product longevity.

For watch manufacturers serving international brands, sustainability is therefore becoming less about a single product feature and more about how manufacturing decisions are made across the product lifecycle.

VDEAR's OEM/ODM manufacturing process covers product development, mold development, production, testing and packaging, allowing these considerations to be addressed at different stages of product development.

This manufacturing model is not aimed at a single "green product", but rather gives brands more options at different stages of product development and connects decisions on materials, product performance, and manufacturing quality.

Material Choices Gain a Lifecycle Perspective

The WJI 2030 identifies "Preserving Resources" as one of its three strategic pillars, bringing the resource impacts and circularity of materials used across the watch and jewelry industry into the sustainability discussion.

This is encouraging brands to explore alternatives to conventional materials. In jewelry and watchmaking, lab-grown gemstones have attracted attention as options that can reduce reliance on traditional gemstone extraction and address considerations around responsible sourcing. Lab-grown moissanite, in particular, is increasingly positioned by industry participants as an alternative to mined gemstones because it is produced without conventional gemstone mining.

VDEAR has incorporated moissanite into its watch product portfolio, including models using VVS moissanite, alongside configurations such as 316L stainless steel cases and sapphire crystals. Its OEM/ODM manufacturing capabilities also cover alloy, silicone and wood for cases, as well as sapphire and mineral glass for crystals and genuine leather, vegan leather, NATO nylon, stainless steel and silicone for straps.

For Chinese watch manufacturers, private label watch manufacturers and OEM watch manufacturers, this range of material and component options provides room to consider material sourcing, durability, design positioning and target-market requirements during product development rather than treating material selection as a production-stage decision.

VDEAR states that its material configuration capabilities do not simply define a material as "sustainable", but rather provide brands with more possibilities to evaluate and select based on specific product needs. From traditional metals and high-durability watch crystals to alternatives such as vegan leather and lab-grown moissanite, this flexibility allows brands to explore material combinations that better align with their market positioning across different product lines.

Designing and Quality Control for Product Longevity

As the industry focuses more on the lifecycle of watches, factors such as durability, reliability, and maintenance are becoming important. The framework established by the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) also incorporates durability, reliability, repairability, and maintenance into its product sustainability considerations.

In watchmaking, this approach can be applied to aspects such as watch design and quality control.

VDEAR offers quartz watches and automatic watches. The automatic watches use self-winding mechanical movements, eliminating the need for regular battery replacements under normal use, thus reducing the need for battery changes from a product design perspective.

Meanwhile, as a professional watch company, VDEAR extends quality control to multiple stages of the manufacturing process. Its quality management system meets the requirements of ISO 9001 standards, starting with incoming quality control (IQC) to inspect core components such as the watch case, dial, movement, strap, and hardware, confirming that relevant materials and parts meet requirements before entering production.

Quality control then goes to the assembly and testing phases, including waterproof testing, functional testing, durability testing, visual inspection, and final quality inspection. Only after passing these inspections does the product enter the packaging and shipping process. This end-to-end control approach reflects its manufacturing philosophy of focusing on long-term performance from the product development stage.

Packaging and Environmental Compliance

Packaging has become an area of increasing attention in watch industry sustainability strategies.

VDEAR provides more than 20 watch box styles, including paper, PU leather, wooden and customized boxes. This allows brands to select packaging according to product positioning and sustainability strategies rather than using a standardized packaging solution across every collection.

Environmental compliance provides another layer of international manufacturing requirements. VDEAR lists CE and RoHS among its certifications, with RoHS addressing restrictions on substances including lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in relevant products and components.

Toward More Sustainable Watch Manufacturing

As sustainability expectations continue to evolve across global watch markets, VDEAR sees lifecycle-oriented manufacturing as an ongoing process rather than a single production objective.

"Sustainability in watch manufacturing is not determined by a single material or production step. It requires consideration across product development, manufacturing quality, compliance and the way a product is designed to perform throughout its use. Our goal is to continue developing manufacturing capabilities that help brands address these considerations in a practical and consistent way," said Mr. Li, the founder of VDEAR.

About VDEAR

VDEAR is a professional watch manufacturer from Shenzhen, China, with a specialty in watch OEM/ODM customization services. With over 18 years of industry experience, its services cover the product design, sample production, manufacturing, quality inspection, packaging design, and brand customization. Through the complete system of supply chain and the professional R&D team, VDEAR is dedicated to provide high-quality watch customization services to clients around the world, enabling them to bring concepts to products.

Media Contact:
Shenzhen Vdear Technology Co., Limited
Room 1001, 10th Floor, Keyunda E-commerce base, NO.4 Shenghui Road, Guxing Community, Xixiang street, Bao'an District, ShenZhen, China, 518126
Email: info@vdearwatch.com
Tel: +86 13048872529
www.vdearwatch.com