Sustainability is the topic of the hour. But how committed is the watch industry to ethical and ecological responsibility" We explore several interesting solutions in this feature from our October 2019 issue.
A wink with a serious background: H. Moser & Cie. surprised visitors at SIHH in 2019 by presenting a watch covered with real plants.
First, the good news: when you buy a high-quality mechanical wristwatch, you are also investing in a sustainable product. Longevity is one of the paramount virtues of traditional watchmaking, which has never had quick consumption in mind, but has always aimed at achieving enduring quality that ideally would last for generations. This thought is aptly expressed by Patek Philippe?s memorable slogan: ?You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation.? Beyond a doubt, there?s more to this statement than merely a clever marketing idea. A glance at the catalogs of the big auction houses reveals the long life cycles that high-quality watches can claim for themselves. Nearly everybody knows somebody who proudly wears the still flawlessly functioning mechanical wristwatch that once belonged to their grandfather, father or uncle. Does this mean that everything is literally ?in the green sector? when it comes to mechanical watches" It would be nice to think so. But controversial discussions about ecological and humanitarian abuses in the gold-mining industry prove that not everything that is g...