Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic debuts a watch made from fishing nets

 

A limited and committed edition. 

For the first time in the history of the Alpina Maison, the Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range features a case comprised of 70% plastic debris derived from fishing nets collected in the Indian Ocean. To ensure its durability, it has been strengthened with 30% fibreglass.

Founded in 1883 by a collective of leading Swiss independent watchmakers known as the ‘Alpinists’, Alpina has been

intimately linked to nature, the great outdoors and responsible exploration for nearly 140 years. The Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range is the worthy heir to this commitment.

This new watchmaking line as well as its name draw their inspiration from the encounter between Alpina and the watch journalist Bernard Werk, in the Netherlands, three years ago.

Personally involved in the preservation of the oceans, he created the concept as well as the name “GYRE”, in reference to these giant circular ocean currents – and consisting in reusing the ghost fishing nets from the Indian Ocean. In order to protect an environment dear to Alpina as well as to GYRE-founders Bernard Werk and Jorrit Niels – and leave a sustainable footprint – the Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic line is the beginning of a long-term collaboration between Gyre Watch and the high-end watchmaking Maison.

It is also the first time that this eco-responsible blend has complied with EU REACH legislation (Registration, Evaluation,Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). Its aim is to control the use of chemical substances in order to improve the protection of human health and the environment, while promoting a high level of innovation – objectives perfectly expressed by the new Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range.

The Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range now comprises five variations, including three men’s models (44 mm) and two ladies’s models (36 mm). They share three dial finishes evoking the reflections of the sea, in blue shades, turquoise and dyed mother-of-pearl, complete with luminescent hands. The seconds hand is finished with the famous triangle from the Alpina logo, which also features as an index hour marker at 12 o’clock.

Completing the look are three two-tone NATO style straps made from recycled plastic bottles. In addition, Alpina is offering a black vegetable leather strap comprised of recycled apple waste with every men’s model.

Each model is powered by the AL-525 automatic movement featuring three hands and the date, housed in a black composite case (70% PA6, 30% fibreglass) and presenting a unidirectional bezel that recalls the nautical pedigree of the Seastrong collection. Each piece is certified water-resistant to 300 m.

The Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic range embraces an ecological manifesto: Alpina has decided to launch these five new models to support the World Oceans Day (designated by the UN, on June 8th, 2020). The aim is to draw the attention of the international community to this event, which brings together all the initiatives aimed at cleaning up and protecting our oceans in a lasting way.

These timepieces will be made in strictly limited series of 1,883 pieces each, in reference to the year that Alpina was created. They will be presented in an exclusive and eco-friendly gift set comprising an inner box of FSC Mix paper housing a case made entirely from recycled plastic (ABS) with lining made from recycled plastic bottles (rPET). Completing this gift set will be a single leaflet (guarantee and certificate of authenticity) printed on FSC Recycled paper.

To reduce its ecological footprint further still, Alpina has also opted for a paperless user manual, accessible via a QR code.