Rolex & Sustainability

[pedrocaguirre]

So here is my last shower-time question folks (I hope it hasn't been brought up before, and if so, would anyone be kind enough to point me towards that thread?).

I consider the future of every industry needs to be responsible and sensitive both with the environment and with society. As a watch fan in my early 20's and with maaany watches yet to own (at least I hope so), I came up with the following question: How sustainable is the Rolex fabrication and manufacturing process? Are the materials used to make a modern Rolex of thoughtful and respectful provenance? Are there any guarantees that Rolex parts and materials come from fair exploitation and through fair working conditions in countries where these come from (given that the actually do come from 3rd world countries for example)?

I have never heard neither + nor – opinions/facts about this topic and find myself very curious about it.

Thanks to all who read and more so to those who have info!!!

Best,
P.

[thesharkfactor]

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

[REFZ]

Very good and well thought question for somebody of your age.

Because of the high profit margins I assume Rolex will buy steel and gold from reputable sources because there is no reason for them to go cheap.

For yourself you could start with recycling the plastic stickers you take of a new watch.

[Nairn1980]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

My thoughts exactly

[LyingFlat]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

As a late 20-something I almost spat out my wine seeing that

In all seriousness though. They are a very secretive company with a vertically integrated supply chain which makes an objective assessment of that supply chain's sustainability quite difficult.

However, I would be a little surprised if Rolex didn't have some form of internal sustainability and anti-slavery policy. Many companies choose to publish these policies publicly but Rolex doesn't (as far as I can tell from their website).

[LOWERCASE GUY]

I am not educated enough on the subject to offer a reasonable opinion.

I was however very surprised to learn that Rolex is a registered charity (Hans Wilsdorf Foundation) who do not make tax contributions. I know this was, in part, due to the death of his wife and to preserve the family business but did surprise me a little. Read into that what you will, I will abstain from judgement.

[pedrocaguirre]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

HAHAHAHAHA yeah, this 23yo's brain works at all times and situations hahaha.

[pedrocaguirre]

Originally Posted by REFZ

Very good and well thought question for somebody of your age.

Because of the high profit margins I assume Rolex will buy steel and gold from reputable sources because there is no reason for them to go cheap.

For yourself you could start with recycling the plastic stickers you take of a new watch.

That is provided I already had a new timepiece...hahahaha Thanks!

[alpharulez]

You can find some of the info with a Google search under the acronym CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) & ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) metrics. There are a few reports out there around this query. And a few websites which collate this data against companies globally.

Good question


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[watchmaker]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

Perhaps if previous generations did less girl chasing and boozing in their 20’s we would have less problems regarding industrial sustainability, environmentalism and modern slavery/sweat shops?

[garyk]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

[1William]

Interesting question.

[fsprow]

I am very sure if you ask this very reasonable question to the Rolex corporate office in Switzerland you would get a solid reply. As has been mentioned, most companies develop and file with the government corporate social responsibility reports of one kind or another and I am certain that Rolex does. Please let us know what you find out if you go this way.

[Aberdein]

Not sure of the manufacturing process but I don't think there is much plastic in a Rolex watch. The Oysterflex strap maybe an exception? Correct me if I am wrong. I would also point out a Rolex watch is not a disposable item. My oldest is 38 years old still going strong and will be passed onto the next generation on my departure.
I also believe Rolex have a top rate employment policy for the elves they employ to make their watches.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by pedrocaguirre

So here is my last shower-time question folks (I hope it hasn't been brought up before, and if so, would anyone be kind enough to point me towards that thread?).

I consider the future of every industry needs to be responsible and sensitive both with the environment and with society. As a watch fan in my early 20's and with maaany watches yet to own (at least I hope so), I came up with the following question: How sustainable is the Rolex fabrication and manufacturing process? Are the materials used to make a modern Rolex of thoughtful and respectful provenance? Are there any guarantees that Rolex parts and materials come from fair exploitation and through fair working conditions in countries where these come from (given that the actually do come from 3rd world countries for example)?

I have never heard neither + nor – opinions/facts about this topic and find myself very curious about it.

Thanks to all who read and more so to those who have info!!!

Best,
P.

Posted this quite a while back 2009 but now might have changed, but like all manufactures today source there parts, materials, from as many countries with high standards as possible .

Rolex Home Workers.


Found this article on the net,perhaps this explains getting rid of anchor and penny pinching etc they might have to pay there home workers more wages.


To put the mentioned wages in perspective, a teenager working at McDonald's will make around 18 francs (10.50 USD)The luxury watch manufacturer Rolex turns over billions every year but lets their home workers down. They do the finicky work of finishing watch parts, for 7 to 12 francs (4 to 7 USD) per hour.



By Rahel Stauber.


The ladies watch Datejust from Rolex - in 18 K white gold studded with diamonds - costs a proud 72,600 francs (59,000 USD), nothing for small wallets. But the luxury watch business is booming. Christmas sales were better than they'd been for a long time, certain models are sold out and the manufacturers are announcing that they urgently need additional manpower and are offering "wages better than ever before". Sandra K. doesn't notice anything of this, the single mother of two children in school age works as a home worker for Rolex in Bienne. Using a loupe, she has to file the edges of thumb-sized watch parts. A finicky work. Average hourly wage: 10 francs (5.9 USD).

When Sandra K. started working a half year ago, she was in good spirits because she knew her qualities. "I'm a quick worker, that's what they told me at all my other jobs". And she knows the trade too. For 20 years she's regularly been working for one, or the other watch company. To do her job for Rolex well, Sandra started by working 8 half days at Rolex in Bienne, for altogether 250 francs (200 USD). The meager wage didn't bother her. But she wanted to know what she could earn in the future. "That's not important, all will be fine" the department head told her. And she believed him. After all, it wasn't some dubious company she was working for but Rolex - with estimated annual sales of 2.5 billion francs (1.47 billion USD) Switzerland's second largest watch manufacturer. According to the Swiss financial magazine "Bilanz", the co-owning family Borer is "easily in the mid-field of the 300 richest" in the country.

280 francs for 14 days of work
Sandra K.'s optimism quickly faded. Rolex, for example, pays 6 francs (3.5 USD) for the "rouage" of 100 pieces of Calibre 2030/5. At first, Sandra K. barely managed 50 pieces per hour. Her first pay statement looked accordingly: For two weeks of work, she received 280 francs (165 USD). "I was devastated, just couldn't believe it", Sandra K. says. A calculation error ? No. "The department head told me clearly that it was normal that home workers hardly made any money in the first year". Roughly 350 women work for Rolex under these conditions. Quitting isn't for Sandra. That's why she's diligently continuing to work, in the hope of becoming quicker. In the mean time, if she hurries, she can make between 7 and 12 francs an hour (4 to 7 USD). Still a pittance. And additional activities are required: She has to drive to Bienne every second day to pick up the parts - at her own cost.

Union wants to act
Why does such a noted company like Rolex let their home workers work in such miserable circumstances ? Franziska Borer-Winzenried, general directress of Rolex, Bienne wrote the "Beobachter" a dry note on ritzy paper with gold coinage: "Depending on pace and sensitivity, the monthly income can vary". Sure, could well be. But the law says something different. The employer must set a basic wage and a target time for the home worker - meaning an approximate time for the work. And: Home workers may not earn less than comparable employees working at the factory. In the case of Sandra K, this isn't true. What's even more offending is that - due to the fact that Sandra used to be unemployed and can't make ends meet with such a pay - she receives supplemental unemployment benefits. So Rolex is employing cheap labor at the expense of the state unemployment insurance. The union "SMUV" now wants to intervene. And general directress Borer-Winzenried writes that she will review the rates for home workers and "if required, adjust them appropriately". The requirement certainly seems to be her

[GST15]

Originally Posted by watchmaker

Perhaps if previous generations did less girl chasing and boozing in their 20’s we would have less problems regarding industrial sustainability, environmentalism and modern slavery/sweat shops?

Wow! The "Woke Police" have arrived....what a buzz kill

[Bruno Datejust]

I don't have the answer to your question but you could consider these doubts in watch-choices. Avoiding diamonds and as much as possible gold you will probably buy a watch that involves little to no unequal exploitation.

[LOWERCASE GUY]

Originally Posted by padi56

Posted this quite a while back 2009 but now might have changed, but like all manufactures today source there parts, materials, from as many countries with high standards as possible .

Rolex Home Workers.


Found this article on the net,perhaps this explains getting rid of anchor and penny pinching etc they might have to pay there home workers more wages.


To put the mentioned wages in perspective, a teenager working at McDonald's will make around 18 francs (10.50 USD)The luxury watch manufacturer Rolex turns over billions every year but lets their home workers down. They do the finicky work of finishing watch parts, for 7 to 12 francs (4 to 7 USD) per hour.



By Rahel Stauber.


The ladies watch Datejust from Rolex - in 18 K white gold studded with diamonds - costs a proud 72,600 francs (59,000 USD), nothing for small wallets. But the luxury watch business is booming. Christmas sales were better than they'd been for a long time, certain models are sold out and the manufacturers are announcing that they urgently need additional manpower and are offering "wages better than ever before". Sandra K. doesn't notice anything of this, the single mother of two children in school age works as a home worker for Rolex in Bienne. Using a loupe, she has to file the edges of thumb-sized watch parts. A finicky work. Average hourly wage: 10 francs (5.9 USD).

When Sandra K. started working a half year ago, she was in good spirits because she knew her qualities. "I'm a quick worker, that's what they told me at all my other jobs". And she knows the trade too. For 20 years she's regularly been working for one, or the other watch company. To do her job for Rolex well, Sandra started by working 8 half days at Rolex in Bienne, for altogether 250 francs (200 USD). The meager wage didn't bother her. But she wanted to know what she could earn in the future. "That's not important, all will be fine" the department head told her. And she believed him. After all, it wasn't some dubious company she was working for but Rolex - with estimated annual sales of 2.5 billion francs (1.47 billion USD) Switzerland's second largest watch manufacturer. According to the Swiss financial magazine "Bilanz", the co-owning family Borer is "easily in the mid-field of the 300 richest" in the country.

280 francs for 14 days of work
Sandra K.'s optimism quickly faded. Rolex, for example, pays 6 francs (3.5 USD) for the "rouage" of 100 pieces of Calibre 2030/5. At first, Sandra K. barely managed 50 pieces per hour. Her first pay statement looked accordingly: For two weeks of work, she received 280 francs (165 USD). "I was devastated, just couldn't believe it", Sandra K. says. A calculation error ? No. "The department head told me clearly that it was normal that home workers hardly made any money in the first year". Roughly 350 women work for Rolex under these conditions. Quitting isn't for Sandra. That's why she's diligently continuing to work, in the hope of becoming quicker. In the mean time, if she hurries, she can make between 7 and 12 francs an hour (4 to 7 USD). Still a pittance. And additional activities are required: She has to drive to Bienne every second day to pick up the parts - at her own cost.

Union wants to act
Why does such a noted company like Rolex let their home workers work in such miserable circumstances ? Franziska Borer-Winzenried, general directress of Rolex, Bienne wrote the "Beobachter" a dry note on ritzy paper with gold coinage: "Depending on pace and sensitivity, the monthly income can vary". Sure, could well be. But the law says something different. The employer must set a basic wage and a target time for the home worker - meaning an approximate time for the work. And: Home workers may not earn less than comparable employees working at the factory. In the case of Sandra K, this isn't true. What's even more offending is that - due to the fact that Sandra used to be unemployed and can't make ends meet with such a pay - she receives supplemental unemployment benefits. So Rolex is employing cheap labor at the expense of the state unemployment insurance. The union "SMUV" now wants to intervene. And general directress Borer-Winzenried writes that she will review the rates for home workers and "if required, adjust them appropriately". The requirement certainly seems to be her

That is terrible, how depressing. Wish i'd never read it, ignorance is bliss as they say.

[iealdrich]

Oxymoron of the week- “fair exploitation”

Seriously though, look at this link about iron ore producing countries: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...ore_production

I flew over a region where iron ore comes from in China a few years back and could hardly see the ground from the pollution coming from the smokestacks. If guilt and environmentalism bother you so much, may I recommend a sun dial?

[new_to_rolex]

Thanks OP for bringing this up. The watch industry in general is very opaque about this -- probably a blend of 'trade secrets' and not wanting us to know how little workers are paid -- but more transparency on this is helpful for all

[watchmaker]

Originally Posted by GST15

Wow! The "Woke Police" have arrived....what a buzz kill

I am most assuredly not the woke police. I just happen to side with them on this issue.

Sorry to spoil your buzz

[mr ling]

IIRC, Rolex historically has been low on the list of environmentally friendly companies; however, this has been changing over the past few years with the general consensus of a large swathe of consumer base, which supports such initiatives.

[horseShu]

You won't find any Rolex parts on a landfill.
Everything is sold on eBay, even the box, hang tags and stickers!

Nothing is wasted! NOTHING!

[Polarexplorerii]

Originally Posted by horseShu

You won't find any Rolex parts on a landfill.
Everything is sold on eBay, even the box, hang tags and stickers!

Nothing is wasted! NOTHING!

yup

[Robf52]

Originally Posted by watchmaker

Perhaps if previous generations did less girl chasing and boozing in their 20’s we would have less problems regarding industrial sustainability, environmentalism and modern slavery/sweat shops?

[iTreelex]

Originally Posted by REFZ

Very good and well thought question for somebody of your age.

Because of the high profit margins I assume Rolex will buy steel and gold from reputable sources because there is no reason for them to go cheap.

For yourself you could start with recycling the plastic stickers you take of a new watch.

noooo dont take off any stickers, it will retain the value of the watch so you can use it to retire. Actually, don't even wear it and stick it in the safe somewhere lol

[Marcjvr]

Great question

This should give you an idea

https://www.rolex.org/environment

[Marcjvr]

Originally Posted by thesharkfactor

Big questions for a 20something.. should you not be chasing girls and boozing?

Condescending much

[SoixanteSecondes]

Originally Posted by Marcjvr

Condescending much

Agreed, kind of inappropriate.

[Nairn1980]

Originally Posted by Marcjvr

Condescending much

I’m pretty sure it was meant in humour