(1) What’s the price?
This is definitely the most frequently asked question of all. However, it is too general to be answered, because our team has no idea what kind of watch you are talking about, and what quality you are looking for. It is much better to ask “What is the cost of ASD-0201 with leather straps?” Be as specific as possible when you request a price.
(2) What is your MOQ?
Our MOQ for quartz watches is 300 pieces per model, but mixed colors in an MOQ order are possible. By model, we mean watches with the same case style. For example, all watches under ASD-0202 are regarded as one model.
It’s not always 300 pieces, though. For some quartz models which are under production, we can accept 200 or lower. For more details about lower MOQ models, please contact us via the messaging app or the contact form.
We are more flexible with the MOQ of mechanical watches. This is because such watches are very expensive, and it will be too risky to order many of them at a time.
(3) What customization services do you provide?
As an experienced custom watchmaker, we can manufacture almost all custom-designed watch parts except for the movements. Our movements are imported from the world’s leading movement suppliers in Japan and Switzerland.
(4) What is your lead time?
A watch consists of many parts and its production involves many processes too, so a regular watch project takes 55-70 days to be finished. Watch cases take the longest time to produce – about 60 days, while other parts shorter, about 3 weeks. To learn more about this, please read our post here.
(5) Where can I have my logo done on the watch?
Our logo services are completely free, so do not worry about the costs. Our unit price has already covered it. There are several positions on the watch where we can put your logo – they are the dial, the case back, the strap buckle, backside of the strap, the crown, and the watch box. Other locations are also possible at request.
(6) What’s the difference between hardened crystal and Sapphire? And price difference?
Hardened mineral crystal is the most commonly used glass cover in the watchmaking industry. Probably it is used in 80% of watches. It is common glass but undergoes a process called hardening. Its cost is very low. It is a sure thing that Sapphire crystal is not natural Sapphire. It is man-made in labs.
The major difference between the two types of crystal is their scratch resistance. The latter is scratch-resistant, and even a kitchen knife can not leave a scratch on it. Their price difference depends on the size of the crystal, but usually, it is 2-4 USD.
(7) Which movement brands do you work with?
Here is a list of the movement brands we work with. If you want to learn more about the movement models each brand offers, just click their names.
They are Miyota (Japan), Ronda (Swiss), TMI (Japan Seiko), and EPSON.
(8) Do you do drop-shipping?
Drop-shipping is a great way of doing business, especially for e-commerce. However, it is stock-based, meaning the stock must be ready before drop-shipping kicks off. The thing is that our company makes exactly to order, so there isn’t any stock. If you would like to place your order first and keep it in our warehouse, then drop-shipping is possible.
(9) What do you mean by 3ATM / 5ATM waterproof?
3ATM or 5ATM water resistance is common in dress watches, and luxury and sport type watches can have it up to 10ATM or 20ATM. Roughly, 3ATM is equivalent to 30 meters and 5ATM 50 meters, but it can not be taken too seriously.
Actually, 3ATM and 5ATM simply mean “splash proof”. Splashes (rain, washing hands) are OK but immersion (shower, swimming) should be avoided. You should inform your buyers of this to avoid possible misunderstandings.
(10) How many watch colors can I have in an MOQ order?
It is a matter of cross combinations. Our MOQ is 300 pieces. For the watch cases (s/s), you can have up to 5 colors (steel, black, gold, rose gold, gunmetal), and you can split the colors in any quantities you like. For the watch dials, the MOQ is 100 pieces per color, so in an MOQ order, you can have max 3 colors. For leather straps, the MOQ is 150-200 pieces, so you can have 2 or sometimes 3 colors. If the strap is SS, there may be 5 possible colors. Do a little math, you will find that there will be plenty of color variations.
(11) How many leather strap colors can I have in an MOQ order?
In an MOQ (300 pieces) order, there can be at most 3 leather strap colors – 100 pieces each. Here is an explanation.
When we order raw leather, the leather suppliers accept whole pieces only, meaning no halves or quarters. A whole piece of cowskin can be made into 200 watch straps, so 2 leather strap colors are generally acceptable. Some clients request 3 colors – this is also possible but it means we have to order 3 whole pieces of cowskin and use only half of them. This will cause a waste of material. Therefore, in the case of 3 colors, the unit price of leather straps will be slightly higher.
(12) Is there anything I can do as a watch buyer to be more environment-friendly?
Watch manufacturing may cause some pollution, but the most important contributor is a process called plating, or more technically electroplating, which gives metal gold, rose gold, black, gunmetal, or other finishes. It is a source of water pollution.
If you order watches from us, we strongly suggest that you have all your watches in the steel color, instead of those plated ones. There are three major benefits of doing so: 1. You are making your own contribution to a cleaner planet; 2. The watch costs will be lower; 3. The lead time is shortened, as there is no need for plating which usually takes 3-5 days.
Some of our clients are vegetarians, so they refuse to use animal skins. As an alternative, they choose to use faux leather straps. It is a great choice because faux leather can look exactly the same as genuine leather and costs less. Some faux leather (microfiber) straps feel even better.
(13) Do you have an Alibaba store?
Unfortunately, we don’t. Alibaba has now evolved into a place where all vendors do paid listings and compete for lower pricing. This is not a great platform for Ascend, because we insist that good products deserve good prices. Price competition leads to nowhere.
You may wonder – without Alibaba, how do Ascend develop its business? Over the years, Ascend has grown its business by word of mouth. Every year we have new clients recommended by old clients. Old clients always repeat orders. These have made things much easier for us. We don’t have to worry about businesses.
How do you guarantee secure payments if you do not work on Alibaba? – you may ask. Good question. Actually, our Chinese local bank is a third party that protects your interests. Every time you make a transfer to our bank, they will report it to China Foreign Currency Administration and China Customs Office, and they will hold the money until they get proof that the order is fulfilled.
What proof? You keep wondering. When we ship out the orders, we have to submit a Shipper’s Declaration Form to China Customs, which includes goods quantities and value. We will also have to submit the contracts and invoices. These are compulsory documents for Chinese exporters. Shipment will not be released unless the data match.
In short, even if we do not sell on Alibaba, you can enjoy the same secure-pay protection provided by Chinese banks and other government organizations.
(14) Are these all the designs you have?
As a 20+ years old watch manufacturer, we definitely have many more designs than those displayed on our website. In fact, we have thousands of designs not displayed. If you want any particular style of watch, just send reference photos to our team and we will show you what we have.