I want to start out here by saying clearly that the intention of this post IS NOT to bash brands that use crocodile straps. Moreover, it is not to bash people who may or may not have straps made of crocodile. What's done is done, and I don't think anyone ever responds well to scolding.
The purpose of this post is to raise what I think is a clear and simple ethical question - do we really need to use crocodile skin for watch straps and accessories any longer? We have a lot of options these days. And I further want to clarify that I am not insisting on vegan, etc., but yet another video has emerged making reference to yet another big group (LVMH) and what is, I will be plain here, the barbaric mistreatment of crocodiles in the harvesting of their skins.
NOW WARNING - this PETA YouTube video is very, very graphic, very upsetting to look at, and I do NOT want to needlessly upset ANYONE. But, I also think that it is important that we honestly consider what is really involved in getting a Crocodile skin watch strap (among other things).
So I would politely ask brands to consider - is this something really necessary for the future? Again, I am not here to bash, to shame, to chide or try to make anyone look or feel bad. There is absolutely no point to this. And I am not trying to push my morals on anyone else. But - maybe as a society, we can recognize that it doesn't have to be this way?
Jean-Claude Biver no doubt has a James Henderson / Tempus Fugit Voodoo doll, needles and pins at the ready to jam into it, but I give him a LOT OF CREDIT in a lot of what he did with Hublot - rubber straps, etc. Luxury DOES NOT have to equal cruelty or suffering. And maybe we should all consider taking a page out of his book and consider what we can do if we think outside of the watch box.
The purpose of this post is to raise what I think is a clear and simple ethical question - do we really need to use crocodile skin for watch straps and accessories any longer? We have a lot of options these days. And I further want to clarify that I am not insisting on vegan, etc., but yet another video has emerged making reference to yet another big group (LVMH) and what is, I will be plain here, the barbaric mistreatment of crocodiles in the harvesting of their skins.
NOW WARNING - this PETA YouTube video is very, very graphic, very upsetting to look at, and I do NOT want to needlessly upset ANYONE. But, I also think that it is important that we honestly consider what is really involved in getting a Crocodile skin watch strap (among other things).
So I would politely ask brands to consider - is this something really necessary for the future? Again, I am not here to bash, to shame, to chide or try to make anyone look or feel bad. There is absolutely no point to this. And I am not trying to push my morals on anyone else. But - maybe as a society, we can recognize that it doesn't have to be this way?
Jean-Claude Biver no doubt has a James Henderson / Tempus Fugit Voodoo doll, needles and pins at the ready to jam into it, but I give him a LOT OF CREDIT in a lot of what he did with Hublot - rubber straps, etc. Luxury DOES NOT have to equal cruelty or suffering. And maybe we should all consider taking a page out of his book and consider what we can do if we think outside of the watch box.
