There's No Such Thing as a Free Watch

TL;DR — An investigative report tracing a single ‘free’ promotional watch back through its supply chain.

A special investigative report for the Museum of Capitalism, 18 August 2017.

A visitor donated a watch acquired through a free-plus-shipping promotion. The report traces that one object back — who made it, at what cost, how the economics of ‘free’ actually work, and who pays.

A very good piece of object-led economic journalism, in the tradition of following a single commodity through its chain. The museum framing is conceptual art; the reporting is real.

Where this came from

• Brendan Sheehan’s public are.na channel

30 pages. A copy is archived locally against link rot; the header links the original source.