Timeline: Making Time for the Planet

Navigator takes a look at the watchmakers that go the extra mile, through sustainable materials and partnerships with environmental-action organizations, to tell an even greener story on your wrist

Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV

Swiss watchmaker Oris might be the most accessible brand in this roundup, but it is also dedicated to one of the most robust, eco-friendly, and charitable initiatives in the watch industry. Through its Change for the Better campaign, every year sees multiple watch releases that intend to do some good while keeping you on time. A lot of the brand’s focus is on oceanic sustainability, especially via its popular Aquis Date dive watch. One of the most emblematic models is the Aquis Date Upcycle (released in 2021, but still available for $2,800).

The Upcycle sports a colorful dial produced from recovered ocean plastic; not only making each dial one-of-kind, but reducing and recycling plastic refuse that poses a danger to sea-life and the composition of the oceans themselves.

The latest environmentally conscious Aquis Date is this 43.5mm steel Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition IV created in partnership with the Australian non-profit

Reef Restoration Foundation, which was released this past summer. Certified to 300m of water resistance, this limited edition performs like a legitimate workhorse dive watch, albeit with a gorgeous cerulean gradiated dial, a color-matched date view at 6 o’clock, protected screw-in crown, lollipop seconds hands, tungsten uni-directional dive bezel, contrasting brushed and polished steel bracelet, and a legendary Oris Calibre 400 movement that provides an uncanny five days of power reserve.

Add in a special engraved Great Barrier Reef caseback and the knowledge that your purchase helped support the coral restoration and planting efforts of the non-profit foundation, and you could be wearing your watery heart on your sleeve. Limited to 2,000 editions, dive into this $4,500 timepiece quickly. oris.ch

Ulysse Nardin Diver NET OPS

Riding the concern-for-the oceans wave, fine watchmaker Ulysse Nardin also has a laudable track record for including strong ecological alignment along with its signature horological expertise and decidedly luxury appeal. In 2021, its Diver Lemon Shark timepiece was created in partnership with multiple ocean education and sea-life-supporting organizations, with a particular focus on preserving the world’s shark populations (released in 2021 in limited edition, but still available at some Ulysse Nardin boutiques for $7,800).

A newer Ulysse Nardin Diver model from last year makes even more of a positive impact by using even more pretty-interesting sustainable materials. In fact, the Diver NET OPS might be one of the most sustainably-built haute dive watches ever, according to the watchmaker. The 44mm case is constructed from 95 percent recycled stainless steel, and the case sides and back are a mix of a cutting-edge material called Nylo (which is formed from recovered, upcycled fishing nets) and a composite material called Carbonium (produced with 40 percent less environmental impact than other carbon composite materials). The Carbonium also appears on the watch’s bezel, and since every “slice” of that material is unique, there is a built-in bespoke nature to the Diver Net OPS, as well. Recycled fishing net is also incorporated into the fabric strap option of this dive watch.

All the edgy eco-friendliness aside, the khaki green $13,300 Ulysses Nardin Diver Net OPS is a full-on, “bad-ass”-grade  diving instrument: 300m of water resistance, a self-winding UN 118 movement with a very prominent power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, and a diving-maximized small seconds indicator at 6 o’clock that incorporates a date window. ulysse-nardin.com

Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono

The elegant house of Chopard’s sporty Alpine Eagle line (which debuted just five years ago) not only carries an intriguing backstory of family heritage, the watches also pack a pretty potent sustainability punch, to boot. Chopard heir Karl-Fritz Scheufele noticed a unique steel sports watch on his father Karl-Friedrich’s desk that he didn’t recognize. It turned out be a steel St. Moritz sports watch that was the very first product his father worked on nearly 40 years ago. This accidental incident led directly to the modern Alpine Eagle.

The majority of the Alpine Eagle collection is rendered in the brand’s proprietary Lucent Steel alloy, which is derived from recycled steel and is more reflective and resistant to abrasions that typical steel. Gold versions are crafted with ethically sourced gold, a company-wide initiative (which means watches and jewelry). The ore Chopard sources is verified to meet international environmental and social standards that dictate responsible mining and traceable chain of custody.

While the recent 44mm Alpine Eagle XL Chrono here is created from Grade 5 titanium (the first Alpine Eagle chronograph to do so), it continues to align with Chopard’s environmental Alpine Eagle Foundation. The foundation was founded by co-president Karl-Freidrich Sheufele, along with other environmental experts,  in 2020, with a particular focus on re-introducing the white-tailed eagle to its natural habitat in the Swiss Alps (the species disappeared from the area over a century ago).

Know that your choice of this handsome, $25,000 rubber-strapped timepiece with a dial inspired by the white-tailed eagle’s eye helped fund the foundation’s efforts. They have successfully begun releasing eaglets to the Lake Geneva area, with a goal of repopulating the region with over 80 new raptors in the next seven years. chopard.com