Can A Luxury Watch Be Sustainable?

Just like every other industry in the Luxury sector, is being watched by the magnifying glass for its environmental impact and this is influencing purchasing decisions. According to research,  50% of the consumers considered sustainability as one of the factors when buying a watch.

At a time when innovative materials are pouring out of R&D departments, why are there so few sustainable luxury watches?

Traceability=Responsibility

One of the first brands to get on with the changing times and pressing issues of sustainability was Chopard. Since 2013, the family run-by company has implemented a sustainability strategy at its core. It has taken so by making the decision to source 100% of its refined gold from suppliers that comply with international environmental and social best practices.

The gold comes from two sources: artisanal and small-scale mines that are part of Fairmined, Fairtrade or Swiss Better Gold Association schemes, and gold that complies with the Responsible Jewellery Council’s (RJC) Chain of Custody.

Chopard also recycles 70% of gold waste in its own foundry. Looking t this, a number of other Swiss watch brands and suppliers are following Chopard’s lead and becoming members of the RJC.

When a brand goes pro-sustainability, the brand image of the brand also improves. Chopard became the first luxury Swiss watch brand to release a sustainability report in line with Global Reporting Initiative standards. To give proof that efforts made are starting to pay, the brand says it has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% and reduced the average weight and volume of its packaging by 30%.

Other Brands:

On the other hand, entry-level watches such as French brand Awake - wristchecked by Emmanuel Macron - has our respect for its environmental manifesto and for its use of innovative sustainable materials such as RE:FN-S1® (made from fishing nets), a castor-based biopolymer, an eco-titanium, a sugarcane fibre textile and nylon made from ocean plastic.

Another such creative initiative is taken by Swatch’s “bio-reloaded” 1983 collection. Bio-sourced materials for the watch are extracted from the seeds of the castor plant while packaging material is a mix of potato and tapioca starch, making it fully biodegradable.

Last year, Baume & Mercier took a step towards sustainability by introducing stylish watches made from recycled or upcycled materials, with not an animal-based product or precious metal in sight.

After a promising start, in May this year, the eco-conscious brand became a collection at Baume & Mercier, where it continues to promote an environmentally responsible approach. Its first fishing watch is the Baume Ocean Limited Edition whose case is 80% made from plastic collected by the Waste Free Oceans foundation. The interchangeable strap is also in recycled plastic. And because every little help, each watch is delivered in a recycled cardboard box lined with recycled polyester felt.

Another milestone was set by Ulysse Nardin earlier this year, who introduced their marine circular economy with the launch of the R-Strap. Also made from recycled nets, the R-Strap fits watches in the Diver, Marine and Freak X collections. Just a few days before the this year’s Vendée Globe set sail, the brand unveiled the Diver Net concept watch. he case, middle, back and bezel are all fashioned from a material produced by Fil&Fab: a French company set up by three designers in Brittany that transforms broken fishing nets into polyamide pellets. The Diver Net also replaces the traditional sapphire crystal with transparent ceramic, a material that requires less energy to produce hence a lower environmental impact.

Even the fabric of the watch is entirely from recycled marine plastic. The one drawback is that, like any concept watch, Ulysse Nardin won’t be bringing the Diver Net to market. It does, however, prove that manufacturing alternatives exist and that a greener future is possible - provided more brands put their environmental ambitions into practice.