Making good use of guns – the Swedish watch brand on a peace mission
Triwa’s Humanium Metal timepieces are made from firearms sourced from FARC rebels and will hit Hong Kong shelves in September, with pre-ordering starting in May
“War, what is it good for,” asked Edwin Starr, in 1970. “Absolutely nothing,” the American singer concluded.
Nevertheless, the twin brothers behind Swedish watch brand Triwa are trying to reclaim something from the “friend only to the undertaker” by turning guns into watches.
For the past two years, Didrik and Harald Wachtmeister’s Stockholm-based brand has been working with aid organisation IM Swedish Development Partner to make timepieces from weapons – and raise awareness about gun violence along the way.
IM collects guns in South America, melting them down into what it calls humanium metal. Firearms used for the Triwa X Humanium Metal watches, which will go on sale in September, have been sourced from rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), who laid down their weapons with the 2016 signing of a peace agreement, after more than five decades of conflict. Since late last year, IM has recycled metal from 3,500 firearms.
If we can help raise awareness, we have done part of our jobs. If we help minimise the amount of guns that hurt people in the world, it is good