The new Diver The Ocean Race watch maximizes use of recycled materials.

 

Watches made of plastic may pursue commendable environmental goals but they still raise eyebrows among skeptics. Step by step, Ulysse Nardin continues to pursue this chosen path. Ulysse Nardin hasn't been phased by accusations that the watchmaker has jumped on the bandwagon with the hype surrounding eco trends.

 

Humanity may soon be left with no other choice, and all materials will "have their own history" in a number of years. There was a time when people were skeptical about steel watches. Now they're setting records at auctions with collectors vying for them. It's hard to imagine right now, but it's quite possible that people's attitudes towards plastic could also change drastically at some stage.

 

Ulysse Nardin Diver The Ocean Race
Ulysse Nardin Diver The Ocean Race

Ulysse Nardin has strong historic links to the ocean and has chosen fishing nets as the starting point for its environmental efforts. In 2020, the Diver Net with a case made of Nylo was unveiled to the world. This plastic is obtained from fishing nets recycled by the company FIL&FAB.

 

The start-up based in the French city of Brest sorts nets by color and crushes them into polyamid granules called Nylo, which can used for a wide range of applications. Watch cases are one example. The Ulysse Nardin Diver X The Ocean Race has a 60% Nylo watch case.

 

The remaining 40% is made of Carbonium: by-products from the aerospace industry with a lower environmental impact than other carbon composites, which the company Lavoisier Composites came up with the idea of utilizing. It's used for the watch's bezel. The strap is also made of fishing nets recycled by the French company JTTI.

 

The large 44 mm case is water resistant up to 300 m and houses the UN-188 manufacture movement. Ulysse Nardin also considered the environmental impact when manufacturing the movement and sought to reduce its carbon footprint.

 

Inside the movement, 95% of components are made from materials sourced within a 30-km radius of the manufacture. The movement with its 60-hour power reserve also contains parts made of 100% recycled brass.