Ticking green

Brands are no longer separating the idea of sustainability and environmental consciousness from fine watchmaking

- VARUN GODINHO

Provenance, pedigree and craftsmanship have always been the pride points for the watchmaking industry. Sustainability was merely a cursory consideration, in part because these were small-batch creations made by a handful of artisans and also because of the inter-generational life cycle of the finished products that often ended up being an heirloom.

“What we do in fine watchmaking is very labour intensive, so it’s a lot of energy used. Yes, there is an initial [environmental] impact when making a fine mechanical watch, but that watch is going to last decades. So, the impact over the whole lifespan is much more evened out,” states Stephen Forsey, co-founder of La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker Greubel Forsey. He made the remarks during a panel discussion titled Means to the End of the World, held as part of the virtual Horology Forum organised by the Dubai Watch Week in October.

But with the watch industry ramping up production post the Quartz Crisis, it could no longer ignore its environmental impact. More recently, however, the impetus to implement sustainable practices stems from a new kind of customer that has forced luxury brands to talk about sustainability.

“It’s the consumer and the new generation forcing us in this direction. Even our employees force my family and shareholders to think beyond producing luxury watches – and to how we are producing them. Those millennials are pushing us every day,” explains Forsey’s co-panellist Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie.