Which luxury watch brands are protecting the planet?
From tiny plankton to large whales, plastic impacts more than 700 species in our oceans. You’ve no doubt seen countless pictures of turtles with plastic straws embedded in their nostrils.
With sustainability and the need to go plastic-free on everyone’s radar at present, consumers are constantly on the hunt for the latest way to protect the planet.
And for big watch brands, it’s a great opportunity to team up with marine charities to take action.
Breitling
The brand set up a commitment to maintain clean seas and beaches, and to encourage it along it created a ‘surfers squad’ – including American pro Kelly Slater and Australians Stephanie Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons – to reflect its action, purpose and pioneering values.
Breitling has also partnered up with Outerknown, a sustainable apparel manufacturer co-founded by 11 times world champion Slater, and as a result has come up with a brand new collection of Superocean Automatic watches.
The stunning Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 timepiece celebrates this collaboration.
The watch, available from £4,950, features a Nato strap crafted from ECONYL® yarn – an innovative material created from nylon waste. With its black DLC-coated stainless steel case, blue dial and unique blue strap, it makes a dramatic style statement about saving the oceans.
IWC
IWC has also made a big push to protect the planet. Focused on reducing its manufacturing energy consumption, it has placed photovoltaic cells on the roof of its buildings and even utilises hydroelectric power.
The luxury brand, favoured by actor Bradley Cooper, also supports the Charles Darwin Foundation, Cousteau Society and the Forest Stewardship Council.
The collaboration with the Cousteau Society, a not-for-profit-organisation, has inspired a series of special edition watches.
Proceeds from the Aquatimer Automatic Edition “Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau” go to the restoration of a research vessel for future expeditions, while the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau, supports the setting up marine conservation zones and protects marine wildlife from overfishing and habitat threats.
Timepieces supporting the Charles Darwin Foundation’s work in protecting wildlife on the Galapagos Islands. The Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks”, of which only 500 were ever made, was created in 2016 to preserve the shark population in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.
Omega
Since bringing out its first divers watch back in the 30s, Omega has endlessly supported the preservation of our oceans. Together with Good Planet, the brand funded an award-winning documentary called Planet Ocean and established two projects to help restore the Indonesian coast and support local enterprises.
Audemars Piguet
Another brand keen to preserve and conserve forests is Audemars Piguet through its foundation.
The Swiss charity educates young people about the effects of deforestation and shows them how they can make small changes to look after the environment.
It is funded by Audemars Piguet with a donation given for every watch sold, making the average amount gifted to charitable causes, around £805,000 annually. Since its inception, the foundation has funded 100 projects including tree-planting initiatives, in more than 40 countries.
In Brazil, the foundation is currently financing the creation of family nurseries and a training cycle for young farmers, as part of the Entraide Protestante Suisse programme. (EPER – Swiss Interchurch Aid) It is designed to help families recreate the biodiversity of their lands and escape from poverty.
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