MASTER MECHANICS

74 BEHIND THE SCENES europa star
previously in real trouble, however the ranching
of the Nile crocodile is of great importance,
especially in places like Zimbabwe and
is the origin of many skins or products coming
into Switzerland. The skin is also considered
extremely valuable.
The GTE and the FH take a stand
Following the broadcast of the Rundschau film,
the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE - show of 60
watch brands held from January 16th to 21st in
Geneva) and the Federation of the Swiss Watch
Industry (FH) have been encouraging their
respective members to acknowledge the situation
and check the sources of their straps.“We
sent a press release to all our partners and
received positive echoes from the brands in
return,” shares Florence Noël, Director of the
GTE show. “Brands such as Pierre DeRoche
only use Mississippi alligator, but shared with
me that they would consider not using exotic
animal skins if they couldn’t verify their source,”
she continues. Some brands, such as Tempvs
Compvtare, also exhibiting at the GTE show,
have made a point from their inception never to
use any animal products in their collections.
Food for thought
For those who saw the Swiss German television
report (available on the Europa Star
website), it is difficult not to be shocked by
the sensational images that were broadcast.
However, we must remain attentive to certain
elements of the report.
Firstly, the film switched back and forth from
the Indonesian rural outlet to the shop windows
of luxury watch brands without any
proof that they were linked in any way.
Secondly, the film shows the CITES permits for
the skins as if to accuse the treaty of not controlling
the animals’ wellbeing, without any apparent
understanding that the CITES treaty is
designed to ensure the sustainability of the
species, being exported, and has no control over
what happens within the borders of any country.
Thirdly, each country, each nation, each culture,
has a different relationship to animals.
The rural relationship to animals is very different
from that of many urban people – why
else would Indonesians have been happy to
let a film crew in if they were ashamed of
what they were doing? Certain images showed
animals moving after they had supposedly
been killed. Many animals continue to move
minutes after they are clinically dead (think of
the chicken that continues running after it has
had its head chopped off).
And lastly, images showed snakes being hit
over the head, which obviously appears barbaric
on screen, but is actually one of the
most humane ways to kill a snake rapidly.
These are all facts that watch brands and their
retailers should know, facts that they need to
communicate to their customers correctly, facts
that should make them proud of contributing
to biodiversity conservation, but encourage
them to be more attentive to a part of their
business that could change the way we protect
nature. “‘Business as usual’ won’t work
anymore; the planet cannot support it and the
people won’t allow it. I hope that good things
will come out of this report and businesses will
stand up and take action,” concludes Vasquez.
What the watch industry
can do to help
The watch industry needs to inform itself
about the provenance of its straps and the
ways in which the animals were killed. If the
watch brands take action and become more
demanding, this will put pressure on those
working in the skin trade, farms, ranches and
governments to take initiatives to better protect
animal wellbeing and the environment,
like the great programmes that have been set
up in Louisiana and Zimbabwe. There is no
need for watch brands to stop using exotic
animal skins, on the contrary, but if they do
not start to pay attention to this important
part of their business, there is a risk that it
could turn around and bite them.
For more information including the Swiss television
report (in German and French) press
releases from The Swatch Group, The FH, The
GTE and The State of Louisiana (the world’s
largest alligator farming/ranching industry)
click on www.europastar.com. O