Nowadays, it is not enough for a luxury watch brand to release new series. To be at a high level of customer perception and appreciation, luxury watch brands do crazy things. Some of them, like Breitling, support massively giant projects in the Ocean cleaning process. Others identify their value in the support of nature protection. Such a brand is Ulysse Nardin which recently released the fantastic series Ocean Race Diver. Why is it specific? Just because this series uses recycled materials in the manufacturing process. It’s an international massive trend reminding us about the importance of environmental protection. Therefore, any brand that supports any of similar causes gains nothing but an even more powerful customer trust and brand appreciation.
Have you ever thought about this? Luxury watches using recycled materials? If this question was asked some years ago, no one would agree with such a theory. However, nowadays reality shows us the opposite: the same extraordinary Swiss quality, the same fantastic design, and the spicy additional component: recycled materials.
Exploring the Ocean Race Diver series
Back in 2021, Nardin took the risk to announce the upcoming release of the new watches manufactured with recycled materials. For this purpose, the brand collaborated closely with French fishing net recyclers to bring the series to perfection. In fact, the concept sounded ambitious and hard to obtain for most experts and amateurs in the watch industry. Nonetheless, the series is real, attainable, and fantastic.
In general lines, all basic components of the Ocean Racer Diver watch include recycled materials. For instance, the watch case includes a recycled fishing net at 60%. Beyond that, the strap is fully made from the same recycled material as the case. Certain steel components from the watch are manufactured from recycled materials from the car industry. And of course, you might wonder about the movement. It is impossible to add recycled materials to the watch movement. But, you are wrong. The brand states that about 50% of the watch movement comprises recycled materials as well.
During a press release, the Nardin brand commented that, unfortunately, the quantity of the recycled materials used in these watches does not massively improve the situation. This comes after an estimation of about 650,000 tons of fishing nets being thrown into the water. The estimated 200 tons used by Nardin do not make a big difference. However, the brand remains optimistic since it sees the initiative as quite promising and the big changes are yet to come.
Who else is in the game?
Chopard made his choice
Another big brand that supports the involvement in big causes is Chopard. Some years ago, the brand declared the necessity of using ethical gold in its goods. Similar to Nardin, the concept seems unattainable, even impossible for the competitors. Still, after five years, watch lovers can admire the amazing L.U.C Strike One masterpiece. This work of art was manufactured on the basis of the most rigorous environmental standards. As a result, it comes from sustainable sources using promising ethical gold. Thus, the brand has developed a new branch: the recycling of its own gold scraps.
As far as it seems, simply producing watches is becoming boring for the big brands. They began to focus on deep social problems and create a new level of branding. Other companies retrieve such a model step by step, but it requires at least a few years to obtain such imposing results.
Panerai also joined
Many people believe that realizing some big things requires a lot of time. This belief is based on the fact that a high-quality good, be it a luxury watch or a luxury car, needs research, needs finding good partners, investment, and production effort. This rule might be available for all but the Italian industries. And the Panerai brand has triumphantly demonstrated it. Some years ago, the brand promised to announce its first recycled timepiece within 5 years.
These 5 years were envisaged to do the research and find partners and suppliers in order to establish the roadmap for achieving the goal. Finally, the brand made it possible with the Submersible Quarantaquattro timepiece. The watch case comes from recycled steel. In addition, the straps come in 2 versions. One version refers to recycled plastic, while the other is recycled rubber. These 2 versions come in the package so that the customer can interchange them as he wishes. Well, a great example for the small brands.
Breitling does not lag behind
We have previously mentioned that Breitling is an active contributor to the ocean cleaning campaigns. But, it’s not only that. The brand takes giant steps toward the revolution of the watch industry. It has recently replaced all its wooden boxes with recycled PET boxes. Beyond that, Breitling has made some changes in the last version of the Superocean Heritage Chronograph series. The last iteration comes with fully-recycled straps. These are recycled from nylon. Therefore, Breitling aligns with the fashion big brands that also began to use recycled nylon for their collections.
It is a true pleasure to observe that big-name players from the watch industry carry a strong responsibility toward social and environmental issues. It’s a great example not only for small brands and companies but for all of us, as simple people.
Omega-another big player
Omega is closely related to the greatest events. One such event is the recent dive of Victor Vescovo in the Mariana Trench. He managed to dive down 10,935 meters, which is a blasting result. Omega wanted to give tribute to this personality and to this event. As a result, the brand has recently launched the phenomenal Planet Ocean Ultra Deep collection. The collection is pretty tiny containing only 7 models. But, the astonishing attractiveness consists in the fact that these 7 timepieces can resist the breathtaking depth of 7 kilometers down the water. 7 kilometers! Moreover, one model from the series comes with a fully recycled strap. The raw material is nothing else than fishing nets. Omega promised to pay more attention to this branch and to return soon with news regarding recycled materials in the upcoming collection. And we believe in the brand.
Wear these valuable brands on your wrists!
You probably re-discovered these brands from another point of view. The value they provide and the degree of involvement in sustainability are out of imagination. It is a true pride wearing these brands’ watches on the wrists. These may not be exactly the phenomenal models mentioned before. Moreover, it’s not possible to buy original models since their prices are indeed cosmic for most of us. As a result, replica versions of these brands can associate you with the big things these brands are performing. By only wearing a replica watch, you can feel like being part of the great social projects and share the same values as these brands do.