Titoni Goes Eco-Friendly, With Ocean Tide Straps for the Seascoper 600

Our oceans are suffocating with plastic pollution. According to research, if things don’t change, the ocean will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. Something needs to be done, and by all of us. And now you might wonder what watches have to do with this issue… All initiatives, even the smallest ones, can have an impact and can help achieve a cleaner planet. Upcycling, the idea of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials, is a great way to contribute to clean oceans while creating new products. The watchmaking industry can help in this process, and Swiss brand Titoni makes a valuable contribution to reducing the use of virgin raw materials with the new Ocean Tide straps of the Seascoper 600. And while we’re at it, the watch in question isn’t a bad option either. 

We, humans, are unfortunately producing a lot of waste materials. I’m not blaming or judging here, and I’m part of the system too. Yet, at a certain point, reality is that we’re polluting our planet. We all can help in reversing the trend, in order not only to reduce emissions and pollution, but also by cleaning the mess we’ve already done. Plastic pollution in the oceans is a major issue, as only 9% of the worldwide plastic is currently recycled. Solutions are urgently needed. There are no small initiatives, only beneficial ones. And one of the ideas is to collect waste plastic from the oceans and to upcycle it, using it to create new goods. To achieve the goal of cleaner oceans, #tide – more details here – has created a global network. #tide organizes beach clean-ups, collaborates with social enterprises, pays fair wages to local communities and complies with ethical and ecological standards. And for the watchmaking industry, one of the ideas is to create straps made from these waste materials. It’s not the first time we see this concept, as Gyre Watches even created cases from such upcycled plastics, and so did Alpina. Ulysse Nardin also had an identical initiative. And we discussed the whole topic in this in-depth article.

Titoni, at its scale, is now offering a new range of straps made of ocean plastic, which is produced by the Swiss company Tide Ocean SA on behalf of the Swiss watch manufacturer. The company founded by innovative entrepreneurs specializes in the collection and the upcycling of plastic waste in our oceans. The waste is transformed into premium granules and yarns and used for our watch straps. It might be a small initiative on the scale of all the work that needs to be done, but in the end, multiplied by many initiatives, it might work.

The strap in question is not that different in look and feel from a classic nylon strap. It’s supple and comfy on the wrist, and also has the advantage of being truly waterproof – not a bad idea for a dive watch. It is attached to the case thanks to quick-release spring bars and closed by a steel pin buckle. And it can be purchased separately, for EUR 80, in case you already have a Seascoper 600.

And now the watch. We’ve already looked at it, a couple of years ago and the Titoni Seascoper 600 still is a quite impressive watch, with some arguments and a fair price. It’s a true diver, with classic design, but packed with features. The 42mm case, made of stainless steel, with brushed surfaces and polished accents, is equipped with a screw-down crown and caseback, a helium escape valve, sapphire crystals on both sides and can withstand 60 bars of pressure. It also comes with a ceramic insert on the unidirectional bezel, here in blue with the first 15 minutes highlighted in red.

The dial, with a dark blue background, is rather attractive. I actually prefer this blue version to the classic black we reviewed already here. The combination of dark blue with red accents and white printings is, overall, modern and pleasant. The dial is equipped with large luminous markers and numerals, the date at 3 o’clock is not the best in terms of integration but that window, done in white and balancing the markers, doesn’t bother me at all.

What matters with the Titoni Seascoper 600 is the movement. Under a rather unusual exhibition caseback, shape like a porthole, is the calibre T10, which is a proprietary development by Titoni. Presented in 2019, this is a large self-winding movement (29.30mm) running at a 4Hz frequency. Unlike the ubiquitous ETA 2824 or its clones, often seen for watches in the same price range, it offers a much longer power reserve with 72 hours of autonomy when fully wound. Its precision is chronometer-certified by the COSC, the Swiss Official Chronometer Control. Its stop-seconds mechanism allows for precise time-setting. The decoration, with snailed bridges and a gold-coloured openworked rotor, is quite pleasant too.

The Titoni Seascoper 600 is available from the brand’s website and retailers at a price of EUR 1,725 for the watch and EUR 80 for the strap. For more details and orders, please visit www.titoni.ch.