Vegan leather strap on a US$200,000 Swiss watch – luxury brand Greubel Forsey woos younger crowd with shift to sustainability

Greubel Forsey, whose watches sell for more than US$200,000, will use vegan leather for their straps from 2022 to draw environmentally conscious consumers

Watchmakers are joining other luxury goods makers in finding ways to cater to millennials and Gen Z, from ditching mined diamonds to getting rid of animal fur

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Swiss watchmaker Greubel Forsey will begin using plant-based bands from January 2022. Source: Greubel Forsey

Published: 8:15pm, 3 Jul 2021Updated: 8:15pm, 3 Jul 2021

Swiss watchmaker Greubel Forsey is the latest luxury brand seeking to attract younger shoppers by going greener, in this case by eliminating animal leather from its straps.

The company, whose watches sell for more than US$200,000 apiece, will begin using plant-based bands from January 2022, it said on June 29, without specifying the material.

Watchmakers are jumping on a sustainability bandwagon that goes beyond packaging initiatives and sustainable sourcing as they seek to attract environmentally conscious consumers.

They are joining other luxury companies in finding ways to cater to the growing affluence of millennials and Gen Z, from ditching mined diamonds in favour of lab-grown ones to getting rid of animal fur.

Richemont’s IWC Schaffhausen started offering alternative straps for its Portugieser and Portofino models, made from a paper-based material.

“An increasing number of customers as well as younger generations are much more informed and conscious about what they buy,” said Bassel Choughari, a portfolio manager that focuses on climate solutions at Montpensier Finance.