Panerai calls for change in the industry with its eco-friendly recycled concept watch
Panerai is no stranger to harnessing its innovation in development of materials to create watches with strong sustainability credentials. Its latest concept timepiece, the Submersible eLAB-ID, takes this eco-minded approach a step further, creating a watch with the highest percentage of recycled-based material ever made.
For Panerai, the aim goes far beyond its position as an individual watchmaker, inviting collaboration with other partners and brands to join them in their mission to achieve a more sustainable future for the industry and beyond. When it came to producing the watch, this involved challenging companies throughout its supply chain – from categories ranging from aerospace and automobiles – to explore alternative methods and question the status quo.
The case, sandwich dial and bridges of the watch are made from EcoTitanium, a lightweight, recycled titanium alloy made from more than 80 per cent pure recycled content. It is produced by a subsidiary of the metallurgical solution supplier Aubert & Duval, who helped make the first Panerai watch constructed out of recycled titanium in 2018.
Meanwhile Panerai has partnered with Siltronix ST and Sigatec to create sustainable solutions for its silicon parts, including 100 percent recycled silicon for its movement escapement. The Submersible eLAB-ID is also the first watch to use 100 per cent recycled SuperLuminova on its dial and hands, achieved with the help of suppliers such as RC Tritec and Monyco. Such an eco-conscious timepiece needs a similarly sustainable strap to match, with a version made from recycled plastic created in collaboration with Italian specialists Morellato.
‘We will be very happy if all our peers in Switzerland and around the world get in touch with the same suppliers to use the same materials,’ said Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. ‘We don’t want to be the only one doing this… acting alone won’t save the world.’
