Comments on: Is my watch green? http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/ A mechanical watchmaker in a digital world Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:02:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Tick Talk » Alliance Horlogere http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/#comment-163 Tick Talk » Alliance Horlogere Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:38:10 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/#comment-163 [...] ToolsWatch ReviewsArchivesSuggestions?DonateThank youThank You « Tuesday Tools - Knowledge Is my watch green? [...] [...] ToolsWatch ReviewsArchivesSuggestions?DonateThank youThank You « Tuesday Tools - Knowledge Is my watch green? [...]

]]> By: Jon http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/#comment-162 Jon Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:25:12 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/#comment-162 Woops! Emphasis on "effort" in respect to Suunto. It was some time ago that I had read that press release and I convoluted it somewhere along the way. I would love to see them take a more local approach to their recycling efforts. Nevertheless, kudos to their recycling old movement parts (and materials?) at the very least. Woops! Emphasis on “effort” in respect to Suunto. It was some time ago that I had read that press release and I convoluted it somewhere along the way. I would love to see them take a more local approach to their recycling efforts. Nevertheless, kudos to their recycling old movement parts (and materials?) at the very least.

]]> By: Jon http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/#comment-161 Jon Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:13:04 +0000 http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/04/16/is-my-watch-green/#comment-161 When it comes to mining, there are also issues of human rights to be considered, and not simply green issues. While it didn't dive into the human rights side of things too deeply, the most recent issue of <a href="http://www.robbreport.com/" rel="nofollow">Robb Report</a> featured an interesting article on Vacheron Constantin's use of platinum in their watches and all that goes into mining and refining that. Refining being another issue altogether in burning fossil fuels. Not to mention transporting it all that distance from places like sub-Saharan Africa. The ultimate green: keeping your heirloom mechanical or garage sale find well alive and ticking, serviced locally by a skilled, well trained and equipped watchmaker. The horrendous amount of shipping done through service centers is by no means green at all. Hundreds of "defective" movements - full of many still perfectly good parts - get sent back to Switzerland from service centers almost daily. Recycling these parts and pumping them back out locally, even nationally, would earn major "green" kickbacks, not only in reducing the use of fossil fuels for shipping, but also by enabling parts-starved watchmakers to pump new life back into old movements. By simply doing that, all of a sudden, you're <i>reducing</i> fossil fuel consumption shipping back and forth from jewelry stores to service centers and from service centers to Switzerland, you're <i>re-using</i> perfectly good parts, and you're <i>recycling</i> that beautiful mechanical watch or lithium cell powered hybrid watch you've always loved. I give kudos to <a href="http://www.suunto.com/suunto/main/article_1column.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10135298185568069&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9853823208850708&bmUID=1204178166786" rel="nofollow">Suunto</a> for their efforts. Tissot's similarly featured T-Touch could learn a lot from that article. My applause to Audemars Piguet for their new "green" facility now in the works, and Golay-Spierer for their efforts as well. When it comes to mining, there are also issues of human rights to be considered, and not simply green issues. While it didn’t dive into the human rights side of things too deeply, the most recent issue of Robb Report featured an interesting article on Vacheron Constantin’s use of platinum in their watches and all that goes into mining and refining that. Refining being another issue altogether in burning fossil fuels. Not to mention transporting it all that distance from places like sub-Saharan Africa.

The ultimate green: keeping your heirloom mechanical or garage sale find well alive and ticking, serviced locally by a skilled, well trained and equipped watchmaker.

The horrendous amount of shipping done through service centers is by no means green at all. Hundreds of “defective” movements - full of many still perfectly good parts - get sent back to Switzerland from service centers almost daily. Recycling these parts and pumping them back out locally, even nationally, would earn major “green” kickbacks, not only in reducing the use of fossil fuels for shipping, but also by enabling parts-starved watchmakers to pump new life back into old movements. By simply doing that, all of a sudden, you’re reducing fossil fuel consumption shipping back and forth from jewelry stores to service centers and from service centers to Switzerland, you’re re-using perfectly good parts, and you’re recycling that beautiful mechanical watch or lithium cell powered hybrid watch you’ve always loved.

I give kudos to Suunto for their efforts. Tissot’s similarly featured T-Touch could learn a lot from that article.

My applause to Audemars Piguet for their new “green” facility now in the works, and Golay-Spierer for their efforts as well.

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