American designer and filmmaker Tom Ford is committed to make people rethink about luxury as he says, “in my opinion, ethical luxury is THE greatest luxury of all.” On his quest to contribute to cutting the menacing plastic pollution from the face of the earth, Tom has announced a timepiece made from 100 percent recycled ocean plastic.
“It is incredibly appealing to know that you are not only wearing a high-quality product, but by simply owning the product you are also taking direct action to improve the planet.” This clearly indicates Tom’s core motive for designing the eco-friendly watch.
As clear as the vision of the maker for this watch is, the sustainable multi-pronged approach to achieve the same is also crystal clear. To create the Tom Ford Ocean Plastic Timepiece, plastic waste is extracted from the ocean and then processed using solar energy in Switzerland. For this, the transportation is carbon-neutral too.
Every single timepiece will use 35 plastic bottles in the making and the packaging for the box is recyclable too. For every 1,000 watches that’ll leave the production lines, approximately 490 pounds of plastic waste will be lessened from the oceans and landfills.
“Sustainability is a key issue in our lives right now,” Ford said in a statement. “In particular, the amount of ocean plastic that we are generating is perhaps taking the greatest toll on our environment of all. For every 1000 Ocean Plastic Timepieces we produce and sell, we permanently remove and prevent 490 pounds of plastic waste from entering the ocean.”
The handsome watch has a classic round 40mm case with a black DLC stainless steel screw case back, and is water-resistant up to 330ft. Like the case, the strap is made from ocean plastic, braided from fibers spun from the repurposed material.
In conjunction with the launch of its watch, the brand is also launching The Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize in partnership with 52HZ, an advisory group from the ocean conservation organization, Lonely Whale. The prize money––a purse total of $1 million––will be awarded by a panel of judges, and the winning ideas will all be vetted not only for their ability to help the environment but also to ensure they are scalable and market-ready by 2025.
While the garment trade has dabbled in sustainability for a few years at this point, watches are an interesting new testing ground for applying earth-friendly ideas. Ulysse Nardin launched a watch earlier this month partially made from old fishing nets while Breitling’s presentation boxes are now crafted from plastic bottles.
The Tom Ford Ocean Plastic timepiece is available from Tom Ford boutiques and the brand’s website for £895 which can be pre ordered now here.
Credit: Dlmag.com
Credit: tomford.co.uk
