Have you ever wondered where the watches you wear on your wrist come from?

In the imagination of many of us, the watches we buy are created by specialized watchmakers who work in some laboratory in the Swiss Alps. In fact, the “swiss made” watches come from there. But Switzerland is actually the last stage in the manufacturing process of a watch, which begins much further away, where gems and precious metals are extracted from the ground and then molded into the watches we wear. Just think that about 70% of the raw gold extracted each year from the mines reaches Switzerland.

The extraction of precious metals from mines is a complex and dangerous activity, which pushes man to work in extreme conditions where a mistake or an accident can be fatal. Furthermore, the extracted materials often require to be processed at high temperatures to be separated from other “impure” materials. In these processes, various harmful substances are used which, if not disposed of correctly, can harm people and surrounding natural places. Considering that these mines and refineries are often found in remote places and in countries not as developed as those where the extracted materials are exported, it is easy for respect for the environment and for the work of people to fail.

This long preamble was necessary to clarify how even the production of small and delicate objects such as watches can have a great impact on the environment and on the people who work along the production chain, which is much longer and more tortuous than the assembly phases of a movement. mechanic.

But do not despair, by buying a Swiss watch you do not automatically become complicit in a polluting and harmful production process for our planet. There is no question that the fight against climate change and the search for a more sustainable economic and social model represent one of the great challenges of this century, and the Swiss watch industry is fully aware of this.

For this reason, in recent years, some of the most famous brands of Swiss watchmaking have undertaken various initiatives aimed, on the one hand, at raising awareness among the public of watch enthusiasts on issues related to environmental sustainability and on the other hand to reduce the impact that the creation of their timepieces can have on the environment and on people.

Today we at IWS present 3 initiatives aimed at creating more sustainable watches, telling you how even a small gesture, whether individual or collective, can make a difference.

Oris and the art of recycling

Of all the Swiss watch houses, Oris deserves a special mention. Founded in the Swiss canton of Hölstein in 1904, Oris is a small independent brand that has managed to integrate the fight against pollution into its manufacturing in a very unique and fun way for the public of enthusiasts.

As some of you may know, among the most successful models in the Oris catalog are the diving watches of the Aquis line, also accompanied by the numerous Diver Sixty-Five. Taking advantage of the success of these timepieces and their strong link with the waters of our seas, Oris wanted to send an important message to the enthusiast audience by creating some models also using plastic collected from the oceans.

In 2019, the small Hölstein-based brand presented the Oris Aquis Clean Ocean, a limited edition of 2000 pieces whose caseback was made with recycled plastics. Using the same technique, Oris later made the Aquis Date Upcycle, where plastic collected from the oceans was used to create the dial.

What makes these timepieces the emblem of a perfect marriage between watchmaking and sustainability is the way in which recycled plastic becomes an integral part of the timepiece, thus achieving a new purpose. By making these timepieces, Oris has made recycling plastic a real art, also making each example of these watches totally unique and creating a sense of exclusivity in the enthusiasts who decide to buy them.

The creation of these timepieces is just one of the many initiatives that Oris has undertaken to protect the waters of our seas and oceans and to make the manufacturing process of its timepieces more sustainable. Among other things, it is worth mentioning the slogan “Change for the Better”, which in Hölstein has become a real corporate philosophy through which Oris is becoming one of the first watchmakers with zero impact in terms of CO2 emissions. If you want to know more about the initiatives taken by Oris against environmental pollution and sea water pollution, we invite you to visit the dedicated page on their website.

Panerai: every gram of steel is precious

Another watchmaker whose history and timepiece are deeply linked to the depths of the seas and oceans is Panerai. Founded in 1860 in Florence, Officine Panerai knows its success thanks to the Radiomir, the first model of the Florentine house, whose quality was immediately recognized by the Italian Navy which in 1940 selected the Radiomir as a timepiece for its special corps.

Retracing the main moments in Panerai’s history, it is clear how this watchmaker has always been oriented towards the pursuit of innovation, so much so that in recent years some historians passionate about the brand have harshly criticized it for having strayed excessively from its tradition.

One of the areas in which Panerai has sought to innovate more in its timepieces is certainly that of materials. Panerai has in fact expanded its offer, introducing numerous models in ceramic, bronze and even carbon. One of the main materials of the latest edition of Watches & Wonders was ESteel, present in three new references from the Florentine brand.

ESteel is a new type of steel composed largely of recycled steel and coming from the watchmaking factories of Switzerland. In this way Panerai is committed to reducing material waste, making up to 52% of the cases of its timepieces with recycled steel.

Chopard and the ethic gold

The last Swiss brand we want to tell you about is Chopard. Founded in 1860 in Sonvilier, Chopard recognized the importance of gold for the creation of its timepieces (and more) and for this reason, since 2018 all the gold used in the production of watches and jewelry is ethical gold.

Ethical gold represents gold for which it is possible to demonstrate that high quality standards in environmental and social matters have been met throughout the mining chain. In particular, 40% of the gold that Chopard uses comes from mines in Peru and Colombia participating in the initiative of the Swiss Better Gold Association, a non-profit organization aimed at encouraging the implementation of sustainable practices along the supply chain. gold.

The remaining 60% of the gold that Chopard uses comes from RJC (Responsible Jewelery Council) certified refineries, through which better traceability of the gold used is guaranteed and the waste of raw materials is limited.

Final remarks

What we have told you today are just some of the initiatives undertaken by Swiss brands to reduce the impact of their manufacturing on the environment and raise awareness among the public of enthusiasts on issues related to environmental sustainability.

As you can see by visiting the websites of your favorite brands, almost all of them have a section dedicated to sustainability in which they present the initiatives undertaken to promote a more sustainable economic model. These initiatives are very varied; there are those, like Oris and Panerai, who decide to use recycled materials to produce their timepieces, giving new life to discarded materials, or those who decide to minimize the impact of their production activities, using only energy from their own factories from renewable sources, such as IWC, or even those who, like Chopard, decide to carefully monitor the production chain to ensure that their raw materials are fully sustainable.