The Highly Sustainable ID Watch Circular S Sun Dial (Live Pics, Price)

The pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle is a growing phenomenon, and, more and more brands are embracing a sustainable ethos. Founded by Nicolas Freudiger, Cédric Mulhauser and Singal Depery, ID Watch likes to present its watches as the most eco-innovative timekeeping instruments available, and are to be considered at the forefront of circularity in the world of watches. In effect, the young horological start-up aims at a model that would be 100% circular. The brand uses 100% recycled stainless steel cases, refurbished automatic movements, straps made from 100% green waste and compostable packaging made from seaweed.

The ID Watch Circular S comes in a 41mm case with a modular construction, a round bezel, and distinct side decorations (that can be either brushed or fluted just like the watch we had for our shooting). It also doesn’t have traditional lugs and instead uses a single integrated link to fit the vegan strap. The case is made of 100% recycled 4441 stainless steel. The material is supplied by a company that has set up a waste collection network of 40 companies in the Swiss Jura. ID Watch (with the help of Quantis, a company based in EPFL Innovation Park) states that their material has 10 times less carbon footprint than standard steel.

Different dial options are available with different textures, finishes and colours. In this case, we have a “sundial” in bright yellow, decorated with a distinctive brushing. The applied stick-shaped hour indices are paired with faceted hands for the hours and minute, and a needle-like seconds hand with a red tip. The use of SuperLuminova allows for optimal legibility in all conditions. Around the outside edge of the dial is a black minute track

The sustainable approach is also applied to the movement. As you would expect, there are no batteries here: the Circular S is powered by a mechanical movement. To limit the impact of components, ID Watch uses refurbished movements, giving them a second life. In this case, we have an ETA 2824 which is visible via the exhibition case back. This tried-and-tested automatic movement requires little introduction. It displays central hours, minutes and seconds plus the date. The frequency is 4 Hz and the autonomy is 38 hours. A stop-second mechanism allows for a precise setting of the time.

As said, ID Watch uses straps made of green waste, in this case from grapes. The grape waste strap is the idea of an Italian start-up called Vegea; this material is a textile with an appearance very similar to leather. The green waste straps are made with Biophilica and do not include chemical binders or plastics. The lining of the straps is made of cork.

The ID Watch Circular S Sun Dial retails from CHF 4,380. It can be purchased from the brand’s retailers or on the ID Watch website with a few personalization options such as the strap colour, the case finishing or the buckle.

For more details, please visit www.idwatch.ch