Watches and Sustainability? - Guest Blog
Check out this brand new Game Changer.
Whether you’re a keen watch enthusiast, serious investor, or just have an eye for a beautiful timepiece at a very affordable price, this is a must-have timepiece.
The first automatic self-winding movements in wrist watches were invented in 1776 which captured perpetual energy by harnessing gravity and kinetic movement of the wrist. Arguably, this was the greatest invention for wristwatches in terms of sustainability. Awake Watches haven’t just beaten this innovative power play, they’ve created a whole new league of sustainable and ethical innovation!
It begs the question - why has it taken almost 250 years for such a major leap in innovation? The first automatic watch ever made was deemed too expensive to even be sold. However, Awake Watch have completely eliminated this barrier with the theory that sustainability must be accessible to make a significant impact.
“Three hours of wear on your wrist provides 6 months of power reserve.”
Awake have created an affordable wrist watch that uses the sun to power their pioneering japanese quartz movement that requires no battery. This enables perfect accuracy paired with 99.5% reliability. This ingenious new wrist watch is packed full of disruptive innovation.
The watch strap for Awake’s timepieces is made from recycled ocean plastic waste to create a comfortable and entirely sustainable strap. What this means is that the production of Awake’s watches are actually waste negative - this is where waste from other industries is reused in order to save it from reaching landfills, or in the worst case, contaminating our forests and oceans. You will also find that the stainless steel housing for the watch movement is also made out of reclaimed steel. Further boosting Awake’s waste negative position. Pretty cool right!
Can you say that your iPhone is made out of reclaimed steel and recycled ocean plastic? Or that your current watch can tell the time to 99.5% accuracy without having to remortgage your house to afford it? I exaggerate, but you get where I’m going with this….
I am struggling to find any drawbacks to this watch!
“This sustainable watch brand will be a smash hit” - Elle Magazine
Each watch is designed in the heart of the cutting-edge fashion capital of the world; Paris, France. The team of expert designers have a background, and more importantly, a passion for sustainable engineering. The brainchild of all this culminates in a wristwatch that is not only beautiful to look at, but overflowing with mind blowing sustainable tech.
Because the watches are battery free, they minimise their potential impact on this planet. Batteries give off toxic and harmful greenhouse gasses when they decompose in landfills. It is estimated that 3 billion batteries are thrown away each year! Awake have found an ingenious way of providing up to six months of energy with just three hours of sunlight exposure to their timepieces.
Not only this, but awake only use factories to build their watches that adhere to global labour, wage and safety standards. Even the packaging your watch will come in is consciously designed to be 15% lighter to save on the carbon footprint of your purchase!
“It starts with better materials, continues with better design, and carries through to better factories and shipping methods.”
Imagine how smug you will feel being one of the first people in the world to show off this brand new timepiece. Awake Watch price their game-changing watches as low as £250. This pricing is deliberately low for such a complex invention, this allows for maximum impact by making the watch so accessible. This theory resonates through volume as the way to address mass sustainability. By putting the environment before profit, 1,000’s of people can positively impact the environment through purchasing this product, rather then only making it accessible to one or two people with a high price point. Furthermore, the company relies on friends like FourState to promote and market their watches for them, therefore they save on the huge endorsement budgets that you see at the likes of upmarket polo & tennis competitions. This allows them to keep their prices honest, and as low as possible. Again, it is all about maximising their sustainable impact by doing so.
Overall, Awake’s new-world ethic produces a watch that is mind blowingly beautiful to look at, and also exploding with interesting details and talking points. From their ethical production, to their sustainable shipping techniques, through to their waste negative materials - this watch is incredible. It is a pioneering step into the future of change. This timepiece not only appeals to watch enthusiasts. It is the first watch that I have come across that combines extreme engineering and ethical precision with the mass consumer in mind, making it accessible to high street shoppers through to the conscious environmental enthusiast, and even wristwatch investors like myself who aim to have a diverse and interesting collection of timepieces.