140 year-old Swiss watchmaker Alpina is looking to the future with the expansion of its Seastrong collection. The new Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic series features composite cases made of 30% fiberglass and 70% plastic debris reclaimed from fishing nets collected in the Indian Ocean. Local fishermen collect the abandoned nets from the sea and deliver them to a local recycling facility. The fishermen are compensated and the nets are cleaned and made into pellets for the watch cases. Alpina’s partner, Gyre Watch – a Dutch start-up founded in 2017 that turns recycled fishing nets into sport watches – is responsible for sourcing the recycled material.
Launched to support World Ocean Day on June 8th, the Diver is available in three dial finishes inspired by the colors of the ocean – blue, smokey blue and grey. The 44 mm case comes on a two-tone NATO strap made from recycled plastic bottles, with an additional black vegetable leather strap made out of recycled apple waste. Limited to 1,883 pieces each, the series is powered by Alpina’s AL=525 automatic movement and certified water-resistant to 300 meters. To reduced waste, the timepieces are presented in a box made of FSC Mix paper housing a case made entirely from recycled plastic (ABS) with lining made from recycled plastic bottles (rPET). Alpina also created a paperless user manual, accessible via a QR code.
The Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic collection ($1,395.00) is available now at alpinawatches.com. To support Gyre Watch directly, go to kickstarter.com.
