Sourcing watches from China

£0.20 a watch

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, electrically operated wristwatches with mechanical, opto-electronic or other displays, other wristwatches with or without automatic winding, and other watches of heading 9102 carried a specific duty of £0.20 per watch on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. The tariff also asks for a CITES declaration, because straps can be made from protected species.

Watches with cases of precious metal are in heading 9101, smartwatches that connect to a phone network or phone are generally classified in heading 8517, and watch straps on their own in 9113; confirm the commodity code.

Nickel, straps and water resistance

Watch backs, buckles and metal bracelets are in prolonged contact with the skin, so entry 27 of UK REACH Annex XVII limits the nickel they may release; ask for a nickel release test on plated parts. Leather from protected reptiles needs CITES documents, and ordinary leather and plastic straps should be screened for restricted substances such as chromium VI and phthalates.

A watch described as water-resistant should be tested to ISO 22810, which sets out what each depth rating means. Watches with button cells should keep the cell inside a case back that needs a tool to open, and the retail pack should warn about swallowing cells.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 5,000 quartz wristwatches with analogue dials under 9102 11 00 00, bought for £40,000 free on board with £1,500 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £41,500. Watch duty is a specific duty of £0.20 a watch rather than a percentage, so it is £1,000 whatever the invoice value. Import VAT at 20% applies to £42,500, which is £8,500, and a VAT-registered importer usually recovers it. Because the duty is per piece, it matters most on cheap watches. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

What goes wrong

Watches fail at the movement, the seal and the plating. Movements from an unnamed source stop or lose time, crowns that are not screwed or sealed let in moisture so dials fog, and thin gold or rose plating wears through at the case edges and clasp within months. Batteries arrive flat after months in a warehouse, hands catch on each other, and brand-like logos or case shapes can infringe trade marks.

Ask which movement is used and check its reference, run timekeeping tests over several days on samples, pressure-test water-resistant models, check plating thickness and do a wear or sweat test, and at inspection check hands, date change, strap fitting and packaging. Plan battery installation close to shipment.

Cambridge China Bridge sources quartz, digital and automatic watches, with movements, plating, water resistance and nickel testing agreed before the order. See how we source watches and accessories.