Bulova stop use of reptile skins following PETA campaign

American watch brand Bulova, owned by Citizen Watch Company, has confirmed that it will no longer purchase new reptile skins for its products after facing increasing pressure from animal rights organization PETA and more than 13,000 of its members and supporters.

Founded in 1875, many of Bulova’s timepiece styles featured lizard, snake or crocodile leather straps, including its Classic model. “Every item made from the skin of a wild animal is stitched with the suffering of a sentient individual who didn’t want to die,” commented Yvonne Taylor, PETA vice president of corporate projects, in a statement.

Other leading accessories brands to ban the use of reptiles and other wild animal skins and leathers from their collections include Apple, Chanel, Burberry, Calvin Klein, and Vivienne Westwood.

For years, PETA and its overseas entities have documented how workers on reptile farms mistreat reptiles bred for their skins, from electroshocking crocodiles and severing their creature’s spinal cord with a metal blade to hitting snakes on the head with hammers, often while the reptile is still conscious.

“PETA applauds Bulova for this compassionate move and urges LVMH (which owns Dior and other brands), Gucci, and Hermès to also remove cruelly obtained wild-animal skins from their ranges,” added Taylor.