5 of the best environmentally friendly watches on the market right now
Nick Kenyon“Environmentally friendly” isn’t a phrase that immediately comes to mind when you think of the watch industry. Craftsmanship, passion and heritage might be more likely answers in a word association game with your psychologist. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t parts of the industry that are genuinely doing their bit. Chopard is well-known for their ethically sourced gold, IWC are environmentally conscious in their packaging and we recently covered a brand that is producing watch cases out of hemp fibres. But taking it a step even further are a number of brands who are using materials such as recycled ocean plastic to produce watchmaking parts. So we wanted to take a closer look at some of the best environmentally friendly watches that you can feel good about adding to your collection.
Tom Ford 002 Ocean Plastic Timepiece
Made entirely from recycled plastic that was removed from the ocean, these 40mm watches are available in a number of vibrant different colours that contrast perfectly against their jet-black cases. The woven plastic straps give you the option of hot pink, a bright yellow or a slightly more subtle blue. The caseback, crown and pin buckle on the strap are all black DLC-coated steel to maintain the monochromatic theme. Price: USD$995. For more details, visit Tom Ford here.
Awake .01
The Awake .01 collection contains eight different references, each of which offers a different case texture or colour combination. Containing solar-powered quartz movements and using an exclusively developed material made from fishing nets and weighing just 29g each, there is a lot to like here. My personal favourite is the ELT04, which is slightly more subtle in colour, but still has the same 42mm diameter case offering 50m of water resistance. Price: €280. For more details, visit Awake here.
Panerai Submersible Mike Horn Edition PAM00985
This is a watch that has sustainability front of mind, but still packs a massive wrist presence. Measuring a whopping 47mm in diameter, the case is made from EcoTitanium™, “a recycled titanium alloy that is a lightweight aerospace-grade metal made of more than 80% pure recycled content”. Panerai haven’t forgotten the strap, however, also producing it from recycled plastic. If you’re hoping to get one of these on your wrist, however, it might be tricky: only 19 will be produced. Price: AUD$29,600. For more details, visit Panerai here.
Mondaine Official Swiss Railways Essence
Mondaine are a darling of the Swiss watch industry, not because of they incredible technical sophistication, but for their simple design that is emblematic of Switzerlands train network. This sustainably produced case houses the clean white dial, punctuated by the black hands and hour markers, as well as the bright red lollipop seconds hand. Price: AUD$349. For more details, visit Mondaine here.
Swatch Sistem 51 – AM51
Forming a part of the 1983 collection, this subtle Swatch is not only produced using bio-sourced ingredients such as castor oil, but it also contains the famed SISTEM51 automatic movement. Containing only 51 parts and assembled entirely by a specialised watchmaking machine, it boasts an impressive 90 hours of power reserve. Well played Swatch, well played. Price: AUD$225. For more details, visit Swatch here.