Grinding Gears: Agronomical News! Independent Watch Brand Sends Customers Seeds to Grow Their Own Packaging

Sustainability. 

It is a word used – sometimes in the wrong context – by brands both luxury and not. According to Wikipedia, sustainability “refers generally to the capacity for Earth's biosphere and human civilization to co-exist” and can also be described as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” As of late, more and more watch brands are going the sustainable route by reducing their carbon footprint at their manufacturing facilities, and by using natural materials such as corn, cork, apples, and mushrooms to create non-animal “leather” like straps, and also by offering packaging made of recycled or biodegradable materials. But, after over six years of research – many of which were spent drinking herbal tea and eating plant-based “mock” tacos in a temperature-controlled greenhouse provided by the Wageningen University and Research Center in Holland – one independent watch brand has decided to make “sustainable” more “attainable” by bringing out the planet-conscious farmer in us all. 

H. Moser & Cie has joined forces with one of the leading eco-friendly packaging companies in the world in order to take sustainable watch packaging to the next level by allowing Moser collectors to grow their own packaging. “Our customers believe in our initiative to do our part as it pertains to the planet.” Stated Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie, in a conversation we hope he remembers having. “We feel this is a way for our customers to become a part of the sustainable process, and the feedback so far has been really positive. Watch collectors are natural-born farmers. Who knew?” 

Seeds are automatically sent to the buyer the moment a watch has been purchased via the company’s website, and buyers have the option of selecting one of the following  three packaging choices: “Standard Growth” (which takes approximately 4 to 6 months to grow and is the least expensive of the packaging options), “Quick Box” which grows in 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the size of the watch purchased and area of the world in which the buyer lives, or “Miracle Grow” which will grow the packaging in the same amount of time as the power reserve of the watch it will accompany. 

But aside from the packaging seeds, growth instructions, and a link to a YouTube planting tutorial featuring Anish Bhatt and the guys from Scottish Watches, buyers will also be treated to customized overalls made from organic bamboo linen and embroidered with the Cyrillic version of the H. Moser & Cie logo (as seen on their most recent release at Dubai Watch Week), the buyer’s Instagram handle, and a caricature of their favorite Meylan brother. “We are living the future right now.” Said Edouard in what may have been a conversation overheard by someone who knows someone who writes this segment. “Right now, it’s seeds to grow their own packaging. Tomorrow, it could be seeds to grow their own straps. The next day, who knows? Smelting iron in our back yards in an ethical way? Whatever it is, we must keep thinking ahead as an industry. We have to keep putting the planet first.” 

Well said, farmer Ed! Well said, indeed.