As in many other fields of human activity, too watchmaking was hit by the fashion of the moment, that of green. Ecology seems to be a mantra also for the Watchmaking Maison, which compete with each other to appear compliant with passwords such as sustainability, renewability and similar.
But is it just words? Or is there more? Let's find out together.
Green in watchmaking: does it make economic sense?
Un luxury watch, by its nature, it is not particularly affected by the cost of raw materials. Let's take the case of a Rolex in yellow gold, the Day-Date with bracelet president, containing 174 grams of gold. With i prices of gold two years ago, procuring the raw material for a Day-Date cost Rolex around 7 euros. At current prices, the cost is 800 euros. A thousand euros of difference may seem like a lot, but when you consider that reference 228238 di Rolex costs 35 euros in the list, we understand how the cost of the raw material is not very relevant for a luxury watch.
For steel, of course, it is not even the case to discuss the incidence of the cost of such an inexpensive alloy on the price of the finished product, not even in the case of cheap watches. Therefore, the choice to employ recycled material or ethical provenance cannot be due to the need to reduce i Costs of supply.
Green in watchmaking: does it make commercial sense?
Il green in watchmaking, as can be guessed, it does not arise from the need to sell the product. Consumers who buy a luxury they do it, for the most part, without ever even having seen how it is done inside. Of course, there are enthusiasts, but they are a minority: the majority of customers are interested in investing in a product that retains value and, of course, to the social aspect of the product: you want what you perceive to be an object wanted by many others.
How many buy a Rolex Daytona without even having compared it with the - excellent, without detracting from the model with the Crown - chronographs of the competition? Most people willing to spend double or triple the price for a watch do not even know the reference of the movement from which the timepiece itself is driven. It's hard to think buyers with such priorities would care provenance of the raw materials with which a watch is built.
The green in watchmaking: why?
In following of this article, we will try to understand if il green, in watchmaking, at least it makes sense ethical e environmental, established that from a sales point of view it is much more important - luckily for consumers! - the brand's reputation as a producer of quality goods. Reputation that houses like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, they have been able, wisely, to cultivate over time: beyond fashions such as ecology.
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