A Match Made in Green Conscience

A gaming company and luxury watch brand find common ground in conservation, even if their collaboration has faced fan controversy.

- LYNETTE KOH

From supercar marques to top athletes and graffiti artists, the names that luxury watch brands collaborate with reflect the cultural milieu of the time. In recent years, gaming and e-sports have provided fertile ground for horological partnerships.

In February, Swiss-Italian watch company Panerai and homegrown gaming brand Razer stepped out together in a popup that ran for three weeks outside Ion Orchard. Their partnership began in late 2021 when they joined forces to support non-profit environmental organisation Conservation International.

That year also saw Frederique Constant and Hamilton partnering video games Tennis Manager and Far Cry 6, respectively. Additionally, last year, Tag Heuer unveiled a $36,000 tourbillon watch featuring Mario Kart characters racing around the tourbillon cage. Even though some might question the link between the two worlds, it makes sense for luxury brands to tap into e-sports. According to market research firm Statista, there are more than 3.24 billion gamers worldwide, with the average age being 35. That’s a lot of potential watch buyers.

However, in an interview with The Peak, Panerai and Razer CEOs, JeanMarc Pontroue and Tan Min-Liang both insist product sales are not the priority in their partnership.

GOING GREEN TOGETHER

“Our focus is on our joint sustainability initiative,” says Razer’s Tan, who speaks with an eloquence that reflects his former profession as a lawyer. A Panerai fan, Tan initiated the meeting with the Italian watchmaker. The idea for the collaboration was seeded 20 years ago, when he bought a Panerai timepiece to reward himself. “It was a basic model and the first watch I bought with wages from my first job!” he says, laughing.