I suppose it depends on your level of cynicism. I remember speaking to another watch journalist, someone whom I respect and admire, about Panerai’s eSteel collection, which I consider to be one of this year’s most important watch launches in terms of both aesthetics and ethics. He responded dismissively, “It’s a few hundred watches. Do you really think it will make even the slightest impact on saving the environment?” He said this in the context of Panerai’s new focus on using recycled materials in their watches, a project started a year ago with a limited edition Submersible crafted from the rudder shaft of brand ambassador and renowned explorer Mike Horn’s Pangaea boat.
Says Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué of their collaboration, “Mike came to see me in Neuchâtel, and he presented me the worn steel rudder shaft of his boat which had helped him circumnavigate the planet 27 times. He asked me to see if I could somehow reuse the metal to create a watch case. Of course, I thought it was a great idea, but then he paused and explained that he has been exploring the earth for most of his life. And what he has been constantly shocked by is the amount of pollution in even the most remote areas of our planet. It was at that moment I realised the importance of diminishing the constant extraction of virgin material in our industry and the necessity for Panerai to do whatever we could to spread this idea to others.”
Since then, Pontroué has become one of the most vocal evangelists for a change he feels the Swiss watch industry must incorporate. He cites the
