Wrist watches imported and manufactured for sale in the European Union are subject to various regulations and directives. These cover product safety, substance restrictions, documentation, labelling, and testing. In this guide, we take a closer look at the requirements that apply to quartz watches, children’s watches, and automatic watches.
In addition, we also explain some of the most serious safety risks associated with wrist watches, including choking hazards, button cell batteries, and harmful substances in watch materials and components.
Content Overview
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REACH Regulation
REACH is an EU regulation which sets restrictions on certain chemicals and heavy metals in consumer products. This also includes materials used to manufacture watches. For example, if a watch case or strap contains excessive amounts of such substance then it cannot be sold in the EU.
Third-party testing is often required to verify compliance with the REACH regulation.
Watch case
Metal watch cases can contain excessive amounts of heavy metals, such as lead or cadmium. The risk is particularly high with watch cases made of zinc alloys, as zinc ores can contain cadmium. This content can exceed the REACH limits many times over.
The risk is lower with stainless steel watch cases. That said, surface platings can also contain excessive amounts of heavy metals.
Leather watch straps
Some leather watch straps are not pure leather, but mixtures of leather and plastics. Such straps can contain excessive amounts of DEHP and other restricted phthalates.
Paints and coatings applied to leather straps can also contain phthalates.
RoHS Directive
The RoHS Directive restricts chemicals and heavy metals in electronic components, which include quartz movements and other materials.
Substance restrictions
The following restricted substances and the limits can be found in Annex II of the RoHS Directive.
- Lead (0,1 %)
- Mercury (0,1 %)
- Cadmium (0,01 %)
- Hexavalent chromium (0,1 %)
- Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) (0,1 %)
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) (0,1 %)
- Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) (0,1 %)
- Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) (0,1 %)
- Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) (0,1 %)
- Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) (0,1 %)
Materials and components containing restricted substances above the set limits cannot be sold in the EU.
Quartz movements
Quartz movements are generally covered by the RoHS Directive. However, major movement manufacturers like Miyota and Ronda already ensure that their products are RoHS compliant. RoHS compliance should not be taken for granted if you procure movements from less-known suppliers.
CE marking
The RoHS Directive requires CE marking. As such, the CE mark can often be found on watches, their user instructions and packaging.
Other requirements
- Traceability labelling
- Declaration of Conformity
- Technical documentation
WEEE Directive
The WEEE symbol indicates the requirement for separate waste collection for electronics. This also includes battery-powered quartz watches. This symbol is often placed on the packaging and user instructions.
EMC Directive
Quartz watches powered by a single button cell battery are generally defined as “inherently benign equipment” by the EMC directive, meaning that the requirements in the EMC directive are not relevant. However, this is not the case for smart watches.
The following is stated in the EMC Directive guide from 2018:
The application of the above enables the exclusion of the following products (not exclusive) from the application of the EMCD, provided that they include no active electronic part(s):
Quartz watches (without additional functions, e.g. radio receivers);
Batteries and Batteries Waste Regulation
Batteries, including button cell batteries used to power quartz movements, must comply with the EU Batteries and Batteries Waste Regulation.
Brand name batteries
Our recommendation is that you only use batteries from known brands, such as Sony or Samsung. These companies normally ensure compliance with regulations in the European Union. This can in turn help you avoid overspending on unnecessary battery testing.
Substance restrictions
Annex I sets restrictions for the following substances:
- Mercury and its compounds
- Cadmium and its compounds
- Lead and its compounds
Other requirements
1. CE marking
2. Declaration of Conformity
2. Technical documentation
4. Traceability labelling
5. Battery marking
Note that some labelling requirements only apply to the accompanying documentation and packaging, rather than the battery itself.
General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) essentially requires that all consumer products be safe. It also sets requirements for products or aspects not covered by other EU regulations or directives. Many of the requirements applicable to watches are already covered by the RoHS Directive and REACH.
That being said, the following GPSR requirements can still be relevant to watches:
1. Instructions explaining how to use, install (i.e., replace batteries), and dispose of the watch
2. Age group indication (relevant for children’s watches)
3. Safety precautions and warnings
Further, the GPSR also covers information that must be present on your website. You can learn more about the GPSR in this guide.
In the next section, I also explain how the GPSR is of particular importance when selling children’s watches.
Children’s Watches
Children’s watches can either be subject to the provisions of the General Product Safety Regulation or the Toy Safety Directive. I explain the difference between the two below.
Toy Safety Directive
The Toy Safety Directive covers toys for children between the ages of 0 to 14 years old. Toys, in this context, refers to products with play value. If you sell watches that have some sort of play function then the Toy Safety Directive may be applicable.
In practice, this means that you must ensure compliance with EN 71 standards, among other things.
You can learn more about the Toy Safety Directive in this guide.
General Product Safety Regulation
As already mentioned, the GPSR sets requirements for products and aspects not covered by other regulations. Children’s watches (and other watches for that matter) that do not have play value can still pose potential safety risks to children wearing the watch and younger children in its proximity.
As such, watches with small parts that can easily detach or fall off, and thereby pose choking hazards, are likely not compliant with the GPSR. In addition, the battery compartment should not be easily accessible as button cell batteries can be extremely dangerous if swallowed.
It may also be necessary to indicate the age group and provide instructions for safe and appropriate use.
Automatic Watches
Watches containing automatic movements are generally not electronic and are therefore not covered by regulations and directives that relate to electronics and batteries. This includes the following regulations and directives mentioned in this guide:
- RoHS Directive
- WEEE Directive
- EMC Directive
- Batteries and Batteries Waste Regulation
However, the REACH regulation and other compliance requirements not related to electronics still apply.
Hello Fredrick,
If i want to import only a watch bracelet (silicone bracelet, metal) do i need a CE certificate?
Thanks!
what is the estimate costs and timelines related to EMC and other compulsory CE lab testing for standard smartwatches? (non-medical)
what is List of EN standards or directives for quartz watches
You need to contact a lab
Hi, thank you for the informing article.
Just one question, do mechanical watches need a CE marking?
Hi Oscar,
Does the mechanical watch have any electronic components?
Hi, Fredrik.
Thanks for the quick reply.
The mechanical watch in question, does not have any electronic components.
Hi Fredrik,
I plan to sell parts of a wristwatch.(not as a whole watch), the case, hands, automatic movement, etc, sell them all individually.
in this case, I guess only the REACH test would be sufficient for the parts made of Stainless steel, right?
Hello Hemanth,
Not sure. I think they also test the glass, straps etc
How do i get the link to the Page for these regulations if i need to cite them for an academic paper?
Does mechanical or QUARTZ watches need CE mark or not to sell them in EU?
Thank you
Hi Miha,
I don’t think it’s necessary for mechanical watches, as there is no electrical component inside. That said, RoHS applies to quartz movements and requires CE marking.
Hi Miha Pintar
how about the new French labelling requirements for watches ?
Andy
Dear Mr.,
(RoHS is not applicable to automatic and mechanical watches.)
(Products covered by the RoHS directive must also be CE marked)
If watches are that automatic or mechanical, they should not have a CE mark at all, only REACH testing?
And when confirmation (paper) of the CE mark is obtained from the Institute, after REACH testing or?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Best regards
Hello Senida,
REACH is not related to CE marking
Does the wrist watch must comply with EMC directive?
The EMC directive is applicable to electronic products, which includes quartz watches. That said, the risk of non-compliance is very low.