Plastic debris, it’s the scourge of the 21st century, an alarming 8 million tons of it end up in our oceans yearly making up to 80% of all marine debris from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
Sadly, countless marine species either ingest or are entangled in it causing horrible injuries and or death.
Along with Alpina, Breitling and Oris; Ulysse Nardin is one of the big Swiss watch brands that are working to highlight this issue.
Obviously in most instances they wanna’ flog you a nice new watch in the process but at least they’re doing something.
With that said, the UN Diver Net is a concept watch so is not for sale although we might well see some of its innovations used in future models.
Oh, but I’m sure UN would like to flog you their new sustainable R-Strap - on which the new UN Diver Net concept diver’s watch (created using said recycled ocean plastic) proudly sits.
Breitling and Oris have also made watch straps using PET plastic from the sea, and now UN join them with their new R-STRAP also made of old fishing nets which btw is compatible with this and all other UN Diver and Marine models.
Alpina has the accolade for being the first watch brand to make a watch case (the Seastrong Diver GYRE) using a special composite plastic consisting of 70% plastic debris derived from fishing nets, however UN with the release of this new Diver Net watch and R-Strap have done both.
Although like I mentioned you can’t buy this watch.
So the new UN Diver Net, is say UN a concept diver’s watch in which each trim element has been designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
A totally innovative and upcycled watch for which UN also state the search for suppliers was key.
For the 44mm watch case, middle, back and unidirectional diver’s bezel decoration of the Diver Net, Ulysse Nardin called upon three young Breton designers who have created the first fishing net recycling sector in France.
FIL&FAB recover nets that are no longer in use from harbors and transforms them into polyamide pellets a raw material that is highly resistant to friction. These partners have an industrial design and transition background.
The research around UN’s Diver Net watch has consisted of redesigning its trim elements, leading the watch to feature a wrist strap made from PET plastic from the sea, transformed into reels of thread by the Swiss company TIDE.
This supplier is also working to stop the production of virgin plastic at its source and use the huge resources already available.
In its search for low-impact solutions, Ulysse Nardin has also replaced the traditional Sapphire crystal with a transparent ceramic glass, machined in the Swiss Jura. I wonder how well that hold up to scratches?
The transparent ceramic glass is a material used with the goal of having a lower environmental impact by limiting energy when it is manufactured.
The innovation department has thus appraised and tested several solutions, which may be extended to other products.
In fact, the silicon technology of the UN-118 automatic movement which powers the Diver Net can be admired through the back of its 300 meter water-resistant case.
As mentioned earlier, this concept diver watch is equipped with a concave inverted unidirectional rotational diver’s bezel, also made of recycled fishing nets.
The dial of the watch combines white, gray and green, along with oversized white UN lettering. Meanwhile the hour-markers and hands are with acid-green Swiss Superluminova.
In addition to the dial, further green touches can be found on the bezel, crown protector and on the stitching found on the recycled PET R-Strap.
The dial btw also features a power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, as well as a date window and a small second hand at 6 o’clock. Incidentally the UN-118 has an autonomy of up to 60hrs.
Ugly
ReplyDelete