| Product performance and durability | 20% | Review samples for readability, case and strap construction, operating controls, and performance under the conditions your product specification requires. | Provides representative samples, clear specifications, and test records that match the quoted model and configuration. | Uses vague claims such as “military grade” without identifying the test method, model, or supporting documentation. |
| Quality control and consistency | 18% | Ask how incoming materials, assembly, and finished watches are inspected. Confirm defect handling, inspection records, and pre-shipment inspection options. | Explains inspection stages and acceptance criteria, keeps traceable records, and has a defined corrective-action process. | Cannot explain how defects are identified or gives inconsistent answers about inspection procedures. |
| Compliance and product documentation | 15% | Confirm which legal and market requirements apply to the watch and its components in your destination market. Request relevant, model-specific reports or declarations. | Can identify applicable requirements and provide current documents that correspond to the offered product and components. | Offers generic certificates, documents for a different model, or guarantees compliance without checking the destination market. |
| Customization and engineering support | 10% | Check available options for dial, hands, case finish, strap, packaging, and artwork, along with tooling needs and sample approval steps. | Sets out customization limits, sample charges, approval milestones, and ownership or reuse terms for custom tooling. | Promises extensive customization without confirming feasibility, cost, or production impact in writing. |
| Production capacity and process control | 10% | Ask about the production process, monthly capacity for the relevant product type, subcontracted operations, and how production changes are managed. | Gives a realistic capacity plan and identifies which production steps are performed in-house or by approved partners. | Quotes large volumes or short schedules without checking component availability or production constraints. |
| Lead time and supply continuity | 8% | Confirm sample, production, and shipping timelines, including the assumptions behind each estimate and the handling of component delays. | Provides a milestone-based schedule and communicates schedule risks before they affect shipment. | Gives only a single delivery date with no production milestones or contingency plan. |
| Minimum order quantity and price transparency | 7% | Compare quotations for the same specifications, order quantity, packaging, customization, payment terms, and delivery terms. | Separates product, setup, packaging, and shipping costs and explains how price changes with order quantity. | Provides an unusually low headline price while leaving key costs or specifications unclear. |
| Warranty and after-sales support | 7% | Review warranty duration, covered defects, claim evidence, repair or replacement options, and availability of spare parts. | Provides written warranty terms and a clear process for reporting and resolving product issues. | Offers only verbal assurances or does not define responsibility for confirmed manufacturing defects. |
| Communication and commercial reliability | 5% | Assess response clarity, quotation accuracy, willingness to answer technical questions, and consistency of agreed terms. | Confirms specifications and changes in writing and assigns a clear contact for order coordination. | Repeatedly changes key terms, avoids direct answers, or leaves important agreements undocumented. |