Sustainability

In watchmaking, the term covers very different practices, and confusing them is a common mistake even among professionals. There are at least three distinct levels: the starting material (recycled, bio-based, upcycled), the production process (energy, waste, traceability), and commercial communication that often amplifies the first while ignoring the second.

On the materials front, there are numerous solutions on the market today. Recycled steel reaches up to 80% recovered content in Chopard's Lucent Steel, a proprietary alloy developed with Voestalpine Böhler that is also harder and more reflective than common stainless steel. Panerai's eSteel follows a similar path. Recycled titanium appears in Awake Concept cases with a 70% share. Among polymers, Swatch introduced Bioceramic, a composite of bioplastic and ceramic; G-Shock uses bio-based resins for bezels and straps; Biopoly, derived from the castor plant, is chosen by Awake Concept as an alternative to petroleum-based polymers. Ocean-origin plastics have opened a separate chapter: the #Tide organization recovers marine waste, grinds it into granules and brings it to injection-molded cases by Maurice Lacroix and Timex. For the Oris Aquis Date Upcycle, ocean plastic becomes the dial. Bracenet goes further: it collects ghost nets, abandoned fishing nets that alone make up 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, shapes them in 0.3 mm thicknesses and produces dials. Ulysse Nardin produces Carbonium for the Freak One OPS from waste from the French aerospace industry, reducing environmental impact by 40% compared to traditional carbon fiber production, according to the brand.

On dials in alternative materials, there are already verifiable results in terms of durability and workability. The question of plant-based materials for straps remains more open: AppleSkin by Norqain (at least 50% powder from apple peels and pits), Nortide (yarns from ocean plastic waste with AppleSkin backing), Longines versions with exterior from apple waste and interior from corn rubber. Promising, but longevity and wear behavior are still less documented compared to traditionally vegetable-tanned leather.

Laboratory-grown diamonds enter the conversation because they are chemically and physically identical to natural diamonds, with guaranteed ethical traceability and lower cost; the jewelry industry considers them separately, but in watchmaking they already appear in some high-end dials and indices.

From my bench, I notice one thing: brands that declare sustainability on materials are almost always silent on the energy consumption of their movements, on intercontinental logistics, and on packaging. The issue is real, but the narrative is selective. Buying a watch with an ocean plastic case does not offset a flight to pick it up at a Geneva boutique.