Sourcing
What to prepare before contacting a watch factory
The five facts that get you a quotation in one reply, the three that stall an enquiry for a week, and what you do not need ready yet.
The first email decides the speed
Two buyers send the same enquiry on the same morning. One gets a price the next day; the other spends a week in a question-and-answer loop before a price is possible. The difference is almost never the factory. It is which facts were in the first message.
A quotation is arithmetic on top of decisions. If the decisions are not made, there is nothing to calculate — so the factory replies with a question, and every question costs a day.
The five facts that unlock a quotation
Have these ready before you write. They do not need to be final; they need to be specific enough to price.
| Fact | What "specific enough" looks like | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Model or specification | A model name from the catalogue, or a written spec for a new product | Decides the bill of materials |
| Quantity | A number, or a range with a first-order figure | Decides unit cost and tooling amortisation |
| Target market | The destination country and the sales channel | Decides which documents and packaging the order needs |
| Customisation | Which items: logo, dial, packaging, firmware language, app branding | Each item is a separate setup step |
| Timeline | When you need stock, not when you want to order | Decides whether the production slot exists |
Five lines. Not five documents.
The three things that stall an enquiry
1. A photo instead of a specification. A competitor's product photo tells a factory what you like. It does not say what is inside the case — screen size, battery capacity, sensor set, whether the radio is Bluetooth. For an existing catalogue model, the model name replaces all of it. For a new product, the specification replaces all of it.
2. "What is your best price?" with no quantity. Unit price is a function of quantity before it is a function of anything else. A price at 500 pieces and a price at 20,000 pieces are different numbers, and neither is the "real" one.
3. A target market that is not named. The destination country decides which compliance documents the shipment needs. An order going to the European Union and an order going to Nigeria are not the same order, even when the watch is identical.
What you do not need ready yet
Buyers routinely delay their own enquiry waiting for material that a factory does not need at this stage:
- A finished logo file — a description of the direction is enough to quote. Vector artwork is needed at production sign-off, not at enquiry.
- A complete technical specification, if you are starting from an existing model — the model name is the specification.
- A confirmed total quantity — a first-order quantity plus an indication of annual volume is what pricing is built on.
- A company registration or credit file — that belongs to the order, not the enquiry.
The one thing worth doing early is deciding your target market, because it is the fact that most often sends an order back to the drawing board after the product is already designed.
A template you can copy
Hello — we are evaluating model name / or: a new product that must do X for destination country. Our first order would be around quantity pieces, with logo printing / custom packaging / firmware language / app branding. We would like stock by month. Please quote and tell us what else you need from us.
That message contains all five facts. It also makes the reply useful whether or not the factory can serve you.
What happens with yours
Enquiries reach the team that builds the product, and the reply comes with the open questions already answered where we can — rather than a request for more information. If a detail makes the project a poor fit for us, that is worth saying in the first reply too; it saves you a week as much as it saves us one.
Questions about this?
Ask us directly — the chat window in the corner reaches a human, or email [email protected].
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