One company aims to fight the weapons trade in African nations by upcycling AK-47 rifles into fine timepieces.
The AK-47, is undoubtedly, the most infamous firearm in the world. Known for its user-friendliness, the assault rifle quickly became the weapon of choice for the Russian and Chinese militaries during the Cold War. Because of its widespread availability and prevalence in pro-Communist states, the AK-47 became a symbol of rebellion in third-world nations. Proof of this can be found in Mozambique’s flag, which displays the rifle as a symbol of the nation’s struggle for independence.
But with its ubiquity comes disastrous consequences. In the wrong hands, a single AK-47 has the ability to cripple ecosystems, damage infrastructure, and destroy lives wherever it is traded.
One company, Fonderie 47, is raising money and awareness by destroying these weapons of untold destruction and transforming the metal into fine timepieces and other luxury items, such as writing utensils and women’s jewelry.
Peter Thum (who founded the charity-based Ethos Water brand before it was sold to Starbucks in 2005) developed the concept in 2009, and since then his company has been responsible for the destruction of over 55,000 assault rifles in Africa.
The brand’s limited-edition timepiece, dubbed the “Inversion Principle,” comes in white or red gold and features jumping hours, retrograde minutes, and a three-minute tourbillon. A single purchase funds the destruction of 1,000 rifles, and each watch bears the serial number of the AK-47 from which the steel was wrought.
“When we started doing this, I really wanted the serial number to be the only remnant of the original gun, because it is evidence of the gun having existed, but also it is proof to the owner of their connection to that gun,” says Thum.
One of the most compelling aspects of the brand’s mission lies in the juxtaposition of the two engineering feats. There are close to a hundred million AK-47’s in the world, and it is their uniformity that has made them so successful, while a Swiss timepiece is prized for its individuality and attractiveness.
“A 25-year old AK-47 in the jungles of Eastern Congo is the polar opposite of a limited-edition mechanical Swiss watch. The gun is an intentionally loose, imprecise weapon that is very durable and has been mass-produced in millions. We’re taking this device that ends people’s time on the planet and converting it into something that makes time seem remarkable and valuable,” Thum says.
The Inversion Principle is not some poorly-designed piece that fails to reflect its inner message. If you look at the tourbillon in the center of the watch, when the second hand is at the 12 o’clock marker in the upper 60 degrees of the dial, it is shaped to look like one is looking down the barrel of an AK-47. The brand’s circular logo also contains a easter egg; the small lip protruding out the side of the insignia symbolizes the top of the crucible where the metal is melted.
The process of procuring these weapons was nearly impossible and took close to two years. Eventually, Thum found a source at the forestry service for the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“These guns were originally confiscated from poachers, but they would have come from someone using them for an illegal military purpose. These guns would have been bought and sold several times before they ended up in the poacher’s hands,” Thum says.
The guns are destroyed in Africa before being brought to the United States for a blacksmith to forge into viable pieces that can be used to manufacture a timepiece. The weapons have to be destroyed before being transported, as it is illegal to export a gun from Africa to the United States.
Fonderie 47’s unique initiative has been very effective. It has already been proven to reduce the number and the impact of assault rifles in the Congo. Thum attributes the brand’s success to his customers.
“People who can afford luxury goods are opinion and behavior leaders and shapers who can impact tens of thousands of people with the products they choose to affiliate themselves with,” says Thum. “If we produce products that start to enter the minds and hearts of people who have that kind of influence on others globally, then we can start to change the way that people think of what is possible in terms of dealing with the arms problem in Africa, taking it from being a problem that people believe is impossible to do anything about, to making it so that people are a part of the solution. Our products are really just catalytic objects that enable these people of influence to pick the standard that we’ve created.”
Earlier this month, Fonderie 47 debuted a new writing utensil, starting at a more accessible price point for those who want to help the brand’s cause. The new pen costs $350 and funds the destruction of a single AK-47.
—Logan R. Baker
