Editorial - A Different Take On Sustainability - Editorial

The theme of sustainability has finally caught on in the watch industry, and we couldn’t be happier about it. After all, we all have to live in this world, and while I certainly don’t speak for everyone, I believe it’s pretty common sense to make sure your home planet isn’t teetering on the brink of ecological collapse.

Until now, the discussion in the horological domain has mostly centred on materials, whether they come with ethical certifications from organisations such as Fairmined or the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), or if they are obtained through circular processes — recycling rather than mining, for instance. Companies such as Chopard were early adopters in the watch industry of such eco-conscious policies, emphasising their use of Fairmined Gold and Lucent Steel in selected pieces (and now throughout all their collections). Other watch industry eco-pioneers such as IWC and Panerai introduced vegan leather straps into their collections, alongside other corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies related to their products and organisations. Brands such as Ulysse Nardin, Breitling and Maurice Lacroix collaborated with upcycling companies to create straps or cases out of plastics retrieved from the ocean.

L.U.C 1860 Lucent Steel © Chopard

These admirable projects are some of the most visible ways in which watch brands exhibit their commitment to environmental concerns. Some companies, such as Blancpain with their Gombessa Expeditions, have even dedicated years of campaigning and research towards conservation efforts.

For the majority of watch buyers out there, though, the choice to go with an eco-friendly timepiece is not always straightforward. Most watches that fall into this definition are of the sport or sport-chic genre, with much less available in the classic design category. Choosing to invest in a watch today involves a number of factors, from aesthetics and price range to less immediately tangible issues like global environmental concerns and personal values. Meeting every single one of these criteria may seem like a daunting challenge, but here are some unexpected ways that you can go for the watch of your dreams whilst still making sure you fulfil your role as a responsible citizen of the world.

Gombessa Expeditions © Blancpain

Prioritise brands with strong policies regarding provenance

Being a responsible watch buyer can be as easy as trusting brands that communicate openly and honestly about the origins of their products. For instance, Genus was founded on the principle of due diligence in sourcing, with a publicly declared corporate dedication to the ethical and transparent provenance of their materials and components. An educated consumer is best equipped to make decisions about which watch fits their values, and knowing where your watch comes from is an important part of that decision-making.

GNS1.2 sapphire © Genus

Go local!

Not everyone has a watchmaker conveniently based in their neighbourhood, so this is really about buying from watch brands that make it a point to use local or regional suppliers. One of the biggest hidden environmental costs of a watch (of any modern consumer product, really) is related to the global supply chain and the emissions incurred by international freight. Companies such as H. Moser & Cie. produce the majority of their watch components in house and work almost exclusively with Swiss suppliers for the rest. It’s a mark of prestige and integrity, having such a high percentage of the watch actually made in Switzerland, but it also comes with the bonus of being good for the environment.

Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Tantalum Blue Enamel © H. Moser & Cie.

Leave the watch box behind

When in conversation with retailers and collectors, one subject that frequently comes up is the utility of the watch presentation box. Especially when it comes to the high-complication watches favoured by the top echelon of watch buyers, presentation boxes are often several times the size of the timepieces they contain. While the resources that go into producing (and transporting!) these boxes are considerable, presentation boxes are still perceived by many as an essential part of the experience of acquiring a luxury watch. For your next watch purchase, consider opting for an eco-friendly watch box, like the compact and sustainably made boxes used by Breitling.

Compact and sustainably made box © Breitling

Versatility is your friend

As odd as it might be for the editor of a watch website to recommend buying fewer watches, we are thinking of the bigger picture here, and let’s face it — the cycle of consumerism is ideologically at odds with ecological conservation. If we ultimately want to be buying less, in the name of reducing waste, we should make the most of the things that we do purchase. And if you only buy one watch, it makes sense to choose something that can be worn in as many contexts as possible — it needs to be versatile. A sport-chic watch such as the Omega Constellation in steel and gold covers all your bases, and has the advantage of being an icon of horological design.

Pass it down

Honestly, Patek Philippe really hit the nail on the head with their famous advertising campaign, first launched in 1996 — stating that “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation”. While we’re still on the subject of reducing wasteful consumption, it’s useful to remember that fine mechanical watches as objects are inherently sustainable, since they’re built to last and are extremely energy-efficient. Handing a watch down through the generations casts us in the role of custodian or steward, rather than of owner, and there’s no better analogy for the approach we should be taking towards our planet too.