In this year’s Best of the Best, we continue to honour the brands and people who have continued to create covetable products, even in the midst of a global pandemic. Here, we have Panerai come out top in sustainability
Panerai took its deepest plunge to date with its new Ecologico concept. Created from components made of 98.6 per cent recycled material, its new watch is diving into uncharted territory. Unlike other consumer categories, the watch industry has been slow to embrace sustainability. For one, it is counterintuitive to a mechanical timekeeper built to last generations. Secondly, creating the infrastructure that’s required to build one almost entirely from non-virgin material has been a challenge. It took Panerai three years of R&D, plus the creation of a new supply chain, to be able to give birth to the Ecologico Submersible eLab-ID. Its case, sandwich dial and movement bridges are made from EcoTitanium, a recycled aerospace-grade version of the alloy. Its Super-LumiNova, silicon escapement, gold hands and sapphire crystal are also recycled. The 30 pieces won’t go into production until 2022, but Panerai has a more far-reaching goal. No other company has made a fully sustainable high- end luxury watch, so in an effort to encourage others to join its cause, Panerai has made its list of suppliers public. If more watchmakers join the movement, the effect could be seismic.
