You send the same drawing to four suppliers and get four prices: USD 12, 14.50, 16 and 19 FOB. Before you pick the lowest one, it is worth knowing that all four can be honest — they simply describe four different watches. A quotation is not a number; it is a list of decisions. Read it as a list of decisions and the price stops being mysterious.
What a quotation has to state before it can be compared
心里有数量了吗？
把型号、颜色和数量告诉我们 —— 我们会在工作日 24 小时内回复你这一单准确的起订量、目标价与周期。
A usable quotation answers four things on one page: the exact specification, the commercial terms, what is included in the price, and what would change it. If any of those is missing, the low price you are looking at is not a price yet — it is an estimate that will be revised at the sample stage, usually upwards.
The six lines that decide the real cost
| Line | What to check | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | The calibre, not the adjective. “Swiss movement” without a calibre number is not a specification. | Movement is usually the largest single component in the cost — a named Japanese calibre and an unbranded quartz are not the same watch. |
| Case | 304 or 316L stainless, alloy or titanium; PVD, IP plating or none; polished, brushed or two-tone. | Material and finishing decide how the watch looks after two years, not after two weeks. |
| MOQ | Per model or per colour? Is a dial-logo-only order priced differently? | MOQ drives tooling amortisation. Our standard is 300 pcs per model; a dial-logo-only order on an existing reference starts at 100 pcs. |
| Tooling & sample | One-off charge or included? Is the sample fee deducted from the bulk invoice? | A cheap unit price with an unpriced tooling charge is not cheaper. |
| Packaging | Plain or printed box, warranty card, hang tag, barcode label, marketplace-ready packing. | Retail-ready packing is a real cost — and it is the part your customer sees first. |
| Terms | Payment split and Incoterms: who pays the freight, insurance and duties? | 40% deposit / 60% before shipment with FOB Guangzhou and EXW Guangzhou are two different final numbers for the same watch. |
Why two quotations for the same watch differ by 30%
In practice the gap comes from five places: the movement grade, the plating method, how much of the dial is finished by hand, how much testing is done per unit, and how the supplier hedges currency and lead time. A quotation built on a generic quartz calibre with a sprayed dial and a final check on a sample basis can be perfectly honest — and 30% cheaper — than one built on a named calibre, applied indices and a water-resistance test on every unit. Neither is wrong. They are different products.
What to ask before you compare
- Which movement, by calibre, and who regulates it?
- Which stainless grade, and which plating method?
- Is the box included, and is it printed?
- Is the tooling charge one-off, and who owns the tooling?
- What is the sample fee, and is it deducted from the bulk invoice?
- What is the payment split, and which Incoterm are we pricing?
- What happens if the goods fail your inspection?
Factory note. We quote the way we would want to be quoted: 300 pcs per model (100 pcs for dial-logo-only orders), samples in 15–20 days — 25–30 days when new tooling is needed — and production in 30–45 days after you approve the sample. Payment is 40% deposit and 60% before shipment, FOB Guangzhou or EXW Guangzhou. Cases are made in our own workshop — 2,000 m², six assembly lines, 110 people, 50,000 pcs a month — while movements and straps are bought in to match your target price and market, then tested and re-regulated here. Warranty is 12 months on the movement and 24 months on manufacturing defects. You are welcome to visit and audit the factory before or during production.
A quotation you can hold someone to
The test of a quotation is simple: if it states the specification, the terms, what is included and what would change it, you can compare it with any other. If it does not, ask the seven questions above before you negotiate the number — because the number is the last thing that should be discussed, not the first. We work through all four routes on our OEM & ODM services page, and the answers to the questions buyers ask most often — MOQ, samples, lead times, payment — are in the FAQ. If you want to compare against real references, the 29 models in our catalogue are the ones we quote from every day.
