The New Challenge of Watch Brands: Sustainability

The New Challenge of Watch Brands: How does the world of watchmaking work for sustainability? We examined the steps taken by world-famous brands.

Sustainability is undoubtedly on the radar of all brands now. It is now among the first things that brands should do in a visible time. It cannot be ignored. First of all, this has damage to the image of the brand. Moreover, the fact that this loss may grow and lead to a decrease in sales stands before us with blood. It is unthinkable for any brand to remain indifferent to this reality. This includes the world’s largest watch companies.

Watches are undoubtedly products that attract a lot of attention. Besides being a source of passion and excitement for most people, their value can be measured in very high quantities. This often leads to the attention of responsible consumers to watch companies. However, watch companies – especially the Swiss ones – have been applying sustainability practices for a very long time and inform their customers about it. The products that are deceptive to be evaluated on the same level as the leading brands of the fashion world in terms of transparency are watches. Because it does not get old over time, it can be used from generation to generation and it provides the energy it consumes while working from you.

The most important and correct approach for sustainability is to buy family products. Since consumption is inevitable, meeting this need responsibly is the greatest contribution we can make to the world. For this reason, I believe that watches are in a different position in terms of sustainability. However, I am also aware of the importance of how the same responsibility is carried out by the brands during the production stages. For your awareness, I would like to tell you about some of these practices. We are going on a small tour where you will read about what the watchmaking world is doing for sustainability.

The New Challenge of Watch Brands: Sustainability

Large Boxes Are Waived

Watch enthusiasts and collectors know very well that watches should be stored with their boxes. These boxes, which contain the watch’s warranty certificate, user manual and other important documents, attract almost as much attention as watches. In a way, you can think of it as the nest of the clock. The design and size of each box varies from brand to brand. Some boxes are made by the most ambitious masters of wood carving and inlay arts and are very valuable. Others, although not so ambitious in price and craftsmanship, have an eye-catching charm. After all, boxes are very, very important in watch sales and in the eyes of buyers.

In addition to the storage and logistics difficulties of these boxes, which are given such importance, there is also a waste of resources spent in their construction. At the moment, we see that there is a tendency towards practical solutions in these boxes with the steps taken by some brands. First and foremost is the digitization of the contents of the box and the ability to be read via a QR code. In addition, they are redesigned to a size that only the watch can fit. E.g; We saw the shrinking boxes of IWC and Breitling companies last year.

Of course, shrinking is not enough; those who think that it should be made of recyclable material, of course, took a step forward. The biggest benefit of this was that it made it easier for watch companies to make online sales, underlining that they attach importance to digitalization at every opportunity. Because shipping and storage in small boxes is both easier and the cost is much less.

Recycling in Metals

The watch industry produces large quantities of residual materials for working metals. Mostly stainless steel cases are sometimes made of precious metals such as gold, platinum, titanium and palladium. There is a company in Switzerland that collects the splinters produced by the processing of these metals in CNC machines: Panatere. By collecting these metals and melting them in a solar-powered furnace, the company can produce high-quality recycled steel. The next goal of the company, which was able to recycle titanium for the first time last year, is to establish a furnace that will run entirely on solar energy. This furnace, which will be close to the factories of watch companies, most of which are located in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, will help companies approach their carbon zero targets.

Of course, companies not only have to convert metal but also have to observe the distance while supplying it. The world supply chain, which has been disrupted by the pandemic, and the closed trade routes have made it very difficult for companies in this regard. That’s why Hermes no longer buys the steel he uses from Japan, but from Austria. Thus, the emission created by the steel along its path is largely eliminated. Panerai, on the other hand, developed an alloy from recycled steel and produced a watch using it: the Luminor Marina eSteel.

Materials Procured from Ethical Sources

The origin of precious metals and precious stones used in watches is now very important for most companies. There is almost no company that does not manufacture using gold from businesses with laws protecting local miners and diamonds procured in accordance with Responsible Jewelery Council (RJC) criteria. Not only international organizations but also Switzerland have their own standards in this regard.

However, some companies like Chopard are not content with this and have been using ethically sourced gold and diamonds in all their production since 2018. The fact that it can successfully and uncompromisingly continue this job, which is quite ambitious for a large company, sets an example for other companies to be brave. Hermes and Richemont also use recycled gold in a bolder way.

In the near future, the EU’s reporting obligations on sustainability and production will come into play, and these strict rules will inevitably force companies to adopt certain rules in this field. In particular, producing with gold will necessitate being a very transparent company.

Creative Practices for Sustainability of Straps

When it comes to watches and their straps, processed animal skins – especially exotic leathers – are mentioned together. For some reason, straps cannot be an area where sustainable practices are applied as much as other parts of the watch. Existing efforts do not go beyond the efforts of a few companies. I think the preferences of us consumers are important here. After all, companies have a solution if requested.

E.g; Cartier introduced straps made of apples last year. Swatch and Tissot likewise offer vegan belts as an alternative. Greubel Forsey has previously announced that it will no longer use animal skin straps from January 2022. Ulysse Nardin produced watch bezels and straps with a material obtained from recycled fishing nets, while IWC introduced a paper-based strap called TimberTex on some models. Plastic waste collected from the oceans is also a popular material in this regard. Its new partner, Outerknown, which produces for Breitling, has also chosen the material for fishing nets in the oceans and produces wonderful NATO straps. Options for straps range from fruit to mushrooms. It is unfortunate that it will take a long time for them to be adopted in the industry.

Sustainability as a Service

We reasoned how sustainable the watches are by the fact that they can be used for many years. So how long do you think this long period could be? I’m sure companies think about it too. In fact, some have thought about it before and are preparing for it. E.g; Known for its sophisticated mechanisms and innovative functions, the Greubel Forsey brand offers the luxury of changing the functions of its watches or even the material of which the case is made. If being able to renew your watch for a reasonable price whenever you want is not a sustainable service practice, what is?

In addition, the number of companies that own second-hand watches and resell them to the market is increasing day by day. This service also paves the way for both reining in the extremely high second-hand prices of watches and allowing more people to use the same watch.

Making Maximum Benefit of Nature’s Blessings

I’m not talking about planting trees around the factory, creating commemorative forests, or donating to save rainforests. Some of the watch companies use nature itself. E.g; IWC has been producing in a factory with zero CO2 emissions for a long time. It is not a coincidence that this factory in Schaffhausen was established on the banks of the Rhine River and the company has been using the power of water in heating-cooling systems for a long time. He also uses the rain water he collects in his toilets.

Located on the same river as him, H. Moser & Cie. The firm also benefits from the power of this river. Likewise, Oris, located in Holstein, one of the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland, has been operating as a carbon-zero production facility since August. Its Aquis Upcycle watch uses PET recycled from waste plastics in the oceans. In this way, it contributes to the cleaning of nature, albeit a little bit.

The Future of Companies Depends on Sustainability Practices

Last year, we all saw and experienced the impact of our behavior on the environment. Consumers are now making more environmentally conscious decisions, this is true. However, we have reached a point where ethical, sustainable and responsible business practices do not affect the purchasing audience. These applications are now strictly demanded from brands. The Swiss watch industry can seize the opportunity to make itself more sustainable in all aspects of production, sales and distribution. It does this by emphasizing the value of how permanent its high-quality craftsmanship is; will guarantee a healthy and sustainable future.