The Skagen ‘Aaren Ocean’ watch, made with upcycled ocean-bound plastic waste. — Picture courtesy of Skagen
COPENHAGEN, Oct 27 — After fashion, interior decoration and cosmetics, it’s now the watchmaking world’s turn to embrace upcycling, giving a new lease of life to waste materials. The Skagen brand is turning to plastic waste collected in the oceans to create a new collection of eco-responsible watches, simultaneously fighting both pollution and overproduction.
While the watch industry is working hard to find ways to reduce its environmental impact — whether through materials that are less harmful to the planet or through recycling programs — few have experimented with upcycling, a practice that involves adding new value to unused or waste materials. The Skagen brand is now turning to plastic recovered from the oceans to combat marine pollution, while also avoiding using new raw materials to design its collections.
This initiative gives rise to a new watch model called “Aaren Ocean,” with a case, straps and dial made with plastic material recovered from the oceans, and reinforced with fibers. All are created in collaboration with the #tide ocean material company, which recycles plastic waste collected in the oceans, “in part” using renewable energy.
In addition to using eco-friendly materials, the “Aaren Ocean” watch stands out with its various details that pay tribute to the marine world, including a textured wave dial. The watch is available in five colours, including a limited edition model developed in collaboration with Emilie Lilja, the brand’s ambassador, with a 41 mm case. Pieces in this new collection cost EUR189 (approx. RM910). — ETX Studio