BREAKING NEWS - Shanghai, China An 8-year-old Chinese artisan watchmaker has been posthumously awarded Employee of the Year by watch company Daniel Wellington, the youngest staff member to ever do so.
Siu Pang Yau, born in 2009, has been praised by the owners of the Daniel Wellington (DW) fashion watch brand for his work ethic and commitment to product quality.
Despite dying on the job from being overworked, Siu Pang was remembered and honoured in a statement from the watchmakers earlier this month.
The 8-year-old, who has been living and working in one of DW's factories since 2016, was headhunted from his primary school playground for his extensive work experience in sweatshop conditions.
Originally destined for a rough school life of chasing A-pluses and perfect report cards, DW offered Siu Pang a lucrative career in watchmaking.
Sources report the child assembled over 25,000 watches during his tenure at DW, which earned the corporation nearly US$5-million.
"I think [Siu Pang]'s accomplishments will definitely inspire the other children in our factories to learn the value of hard work," a spokesman for DW said.
Although he was fresh out of kindergarten, Siu Pang had an impressive reputation from age 4 - including holding the world record for the fastest assembly of an Apple iPhone 6 Plus, back when he allegedly interned for the California-based tech giant at their Beijing factory.
DW plans to commemorate Siu Pang's passing with a limited edition Daniel Wellington SP (Siu Pang) watch, for only US$400, a modest mark-up from the actual cost of parts ($5).
FOLLOW US FOR MORE:
