Introducing – Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic – Protecting the Oceans

If you read MONOCHROME on a regular basis, the name ‘Gyre’ should ring a bell… A project initiated by fellow journalists Bernard Werk and Jorrit Niels, Gyre Watch aims at raising awareness of ocean pollution and raising money for its clean-up with a watch made from recycled fishing nets. Already involved in ecological projects, Alpina goes even further by announcing its partnership with the start-up Gyre Watch and presents its own vision of a watch to help clean the oceans. Meet the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic.

Pollution has reached a dramatic level in our oceans, where between 8 and 10 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped every year. Where does it go? Mainly into ocean gyres; vast vortices formed by different sea currents and distributed across the globe. They toss our plastic waste, propelling it over huge areas and into the abyss. This is something Dutch watch journalist Bernard Werk can’t stand… Personally involved in the preservation of the oceans, he created the concept of a watch to help clean the oceans as well as the name ‘Gyre’. The concept: reusing the ghost fishing nets from the Indian Ocean to create a recycled material and craft watch cases from it. In addition to his own project, Werk also introduced Alpina Watches in the adventure, and the Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic line is the beginning of a long-term collaboration between start-up Gyre Watch and the brand.

Based on an existing model, the main talking point of the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic is its case, made from 70% plastic debris derived from fishing nets collected in the Indian Ocean – Gyre Watch is responsible for sourcing the recycled material. To ensure its durability, it has been strengthened with 30% fibreglass. The case is black – not coated but the material itself is black – and topped with a unidirectional bezel, made from PVD-coated stainless steel and engraved with a 60-minute diving scale with black luminous numerals.

The Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range now comprises five variations, including three masculine models (44 mm) and two feminine versions (36 mm), with dials in blue or turquoise shades. The most noticeable version, which you can see here, has a reversed gradient dial in blue – while gradient dials are normally darker on the edges, this one gradually fades to become lighter. It is equipped with luminous applied numerals and hands, and is a fully functional diver’s watch with sapphire crystal, 300m water-resistance and an automatic Sellita SW 200-1 inside.

Worn on two-tone NATO-style straps made from recycled plastic bottles and additionally on a black vegetable leather strap made from recycled apple waste, each version of the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic will be limited to 1,883 pieces. The brand is also announcing its partnership with Surfrider Foundation Europe, a non-governmental organisation which has become a reference in the fight for the preservation of the ocean and its users.

The Seastrong Diver Gyre 44mm will be priced at EUR 1,395. More details at alpinawatches.com.