Due to be officially launched in support the World Ocean Day on June 8th of this year, the new Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic is a technological innovation that has literally been crafted from plastic waste, which is a first for a watch case as far as I know.
BTW between 8 and 10 million of tones of plastic waste are dumped every year – which is truly shocking!
In addition to the watch itself, Alpina has also announced a new partnership with the start-up Gyre Watch, which is responsible for sourcing the recycled material, and with Surfrider Foundation Europe, a non-governmental organization which has become a reference in the fight for the preservation of the ocean and its users.
Gyre Watch was founded in The Netherlands in 2017 with the aim to produce a watch made out of recycled ocean plastic. After 2.5 years they found the solution by using recycling ghost fishing nets, saved from the Indian Ocean.
Local fishermen collect the fishing nets from the sea and deliver them to the recycler. For this they receive a fee, which means Gyre also contributes to the local economy. The nets are then cleaned and made into pellets for the watch case.
The Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range comprises five variants, including: 3x 44mm men’s models and 2x 36mm ladies models. They share three dial finishes designed to be evocative of the reflections of the sea, in blue shades, turquoise and dyed mother-of-pearl, complete with luminescent hands.
The seconds hand is finished with the famous triangle from the Alpina logo, which also features as an index hour marker at 12 o’clock.
Completing the look are three two-tone NATO style straps made from recycled plastic bottles. In addition, Alpina is offering a black vegetable leather strap comprised of recycled apple waste with every men's model.
Each model is powered by the AL-525 automatic movement featuring three hands and the date, housed in a black composite case (70% PA6, 30% fibreglass) and presenting a unidirectional bezel that recalls the nautical pedigree of the Seastrong collection. Each piece is certified water-resistant to 300m.
These timepieces will be made in strictly limited series of 1,883 pieces each, in reference to the year that Alpina was created.
They will be presented in an exclusive and Eco-friendly gift set comprising an inner box of FSC Mix paper housing a case made entirely from recycled plastic (ABS) with lining made from recycled plastic bottles (rPET). Completing this gift set will be a single leaflet (guarantee and certificate of authenticity) printed on FSC Recycled paper.
To reduce its ecological footprint further still, Alpina has also opted for a paperless user manual, accessible via a QR code. The latter will direct buyers to a dedicated site presenting the concept behind their watch and its materials, as well as the instruction and maintenance manual.
Harmonious
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