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9 Luxury Watches Making Waves in Ocean Conservation

A (figuratively) timeless marker of style, the wristwatch is the perfect accessory for obsessive collection. Historically intertwined with sailing, diving and navigation, the watch industry is more eager than ever to celebrate its marine heritage. And when that comes with real conservation efforts, we at Green Light can’t help but get onboard. Here are our favorite examples of watches making a splash on the sustainability stage.
By Roland Dupuy — April 2024

Ulysse Nardin Diver The Ocean Race

©Ulysse Nardin

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Established in Le Locle, Switzerland, back in 1846 by avid sailor Ulysse Nardin, the brand was an innovator from the very beginning thanks to its invention of the first ever marine chronometer. Today, the house routinely celebrates its rich sailing and navigation heritage, and is a part of the Swiss Sowind Group. Keen to do its part for the preservation of our oceans, Ulysse Nardin created and released the Diver The Ocean Race watch in a limited run of 200 pieces. Featuring a case made up of 40% Carbonium® and 60% recycled fishing nets, the watch is the official timekeeper of The Ocean Race, the incredibly popular round-the-world open-sea sailing race first held in 1973. The recycled fishing nets are sourced by FIL&FAB, a startup based in France’s northern Brittany region, a beloved sailing hotspot.

Oris Aquis Date Upcycle

Credit: @oris on Instagram

The most ocean-friendly model to be found on the Swiss maison’s lineup by far, the Aquis Date Upcycle is Oris’ answer to the frustrations of modern-day diving. In an effort to address the global plastic crisis (as much as a small watch brand can), Oris transformed recycled plastic bottles into a colorful and unique dial. Featuring a screw-down crown, extendable bracelet for wetsuit use, luminous time markers, and 30 bar water resistance, the watch is well-equipped to venture into the most diverse marine environments. In addition, a unidirectional bezel ensures even an accidental bump while diving won’t lead to a false time marking, which could potentially endanger the diver due to incorrect calibration with the air supply. Oris continues to impress with its commitment to innovation, an impressive feat for a storied Swiss house that was founded in 1904.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment Edition

Credit: @blancpain1735 on Instagram

The original Fifty Fathoms diving watch was first released back in 1953, and since then, its popularity has only continued to grow. Blancpain has released numerous limited editions of its star timepiece over the years, but none is as ocean-friendly as the Ocean Commitment Edition, a subsidiary watch series which began in 2014 and is now in its third chapter. With each watch sold, Blancpain dedicates 1,000 euros to ocean conservation initiatives, such as its long-running support of the World Ocean Summit, an annual solution-oriented convention organized in partnership with The Economist since 2012. In addition, Blancpain was the founding supporter of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Expedition, a program dedicated to surveying and documenting remote oceanic environments, as well as fighting overfishing.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M

©OMEGA

OMEGA’s Seamaster diving watch has been a favorite of navigators the world over (as well as everyone’s favorite British superspy James Bond) since it was first released in 1948. In 2005, the Swiss watch brand established the Planet Ocean collection, a subsidiary line of the original Seamaster. And in 2012, OMEGA produced the documentary film of the same name, Planet Ocean, directed by renowned French environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The brand continues to support ocean conservation programs to this day, notably working with Bertrand’s GoodPlanet Foundation on coastal restoration projects in Indonesia. With depth rating ranging from 600 all the way to 6 '000 meters, the Seamaster Planet Ocean watch series is well-equipped to deal with the most challenging dive scenarios. And with a combination of materials including gold, stainless steel, and ceramic, the watch stands out from the crowd.

Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 Ocean Conservancy

Credit: @breitling on Instagram

Produced in partnership with Washington, D.C.-based non-profit Ocean Conservancy, the Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 Ocean Conservancy (quite the mouthful) is Breitling’s most environmentally-friendly model to date. The Swiss maison, founded in 1884, first released the Superocean dive watch in 1957. And while its aviation chronographs may have taken center stage for quite some time, the brand still paid close attention to its maritime division, and the Superocean has maintained an impressive level of popularity since its early days. Breitling’s support of Ocean Conservancy, which began in 2018, has allowed the non-profit to further expand its International Coastal Cleanup program, which started in 1986 and has seen a whopping 230 million pounds of trash be picked up by millions of volunteers worldwide.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-dweller

©ROLEX

Arguably the most famous of all watch brands, Rolex wasn’t about to leave the diving watch development to anybody else. Keen to make its mark on the emerging sector, the house released the Oyster Perpetual Sea-dweller watch in 1967, and its design has remained largely unchanged since then. The addition of an innovative helium escape valve gives the watch the ability to master decompression upon ascent, and the watch’s depth rating of 1 '200 meters means it deals with pressure better than most. Beyond the product, Rolex supports ocean conservation through its close partnership with Mission Blue, the non-profit founded by American marine biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle, as part of its Perpetual Planet environmental initiative.

Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean Series

First introduced in 2018, Seiko’s Prospex Save the Ocean watch is the most sophisticated dive watch on the Japanese brand’s lineup. Re-released with various tweaks and new specs since then, the watch is the physical manifestation of Seiko’s commitment to protecting the oceans. Having partnered with French diver Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the oceanic legend Jacques Cousteau, on a number of conservation projects, Seiko is proving there is substance to their style, too. The brand has also worked with Japan's National Institute of Polar Research, the PADI AWARE Foundation Marine Debris Program, and has supported the Fournoi Underwater Survey and Excavation Project in Greece.

Baume & Mercier BAUME OCEAN

At last year’s Watches & Wonders trade fair in Geneva, Baume & Mercier welcomed guests to their stand by offering ‘bubbles’ of water encased in a thin casing of transparent, edible algae. It was a small detail that immediately builds an association between the brand and the future of water, and their watch lineup is another example of their commitment to aquatic and oceanic preservation. The BAUME OCEAN watch is crafted out of recycled materials, and features an interchangeable strap made of woven RPET plastic and lined with natural black cork. The Geneva-based brand has also partnered with WFO (World Forum Offshore Wind), a global platform promoting and investing in offshore wind solutions, as well as with the Seaqual Initiative, an ocean cleanup nonprofit.

Carl F. Bucherer Patravi Scubatec Manta Trust Limited Edition

The Lucerne-based brand, founded in 1888, opted for a specific approach to ocean conservation, via a partnership with the UK-based charity Manta Trust which started in 2013. The charity focuses on the protection of the Black Manta Ray, a threatened species whose numbers have fallen due to overfishing and habitat loss. Carl F. Bucherer created the Patravi Scubatec Manta Trust Limited Edition watch to support the cause, and added a few signature details to make the watch unique. The strap, made of recycled bottles, features contrasting bronze stitching, and the case back is coated in ultra-strong DLC (diamond-like carbon coating), and features an engraving of the mighty Black Manta Ray — perfect for a day out at sea.

9 Luxury Watches Making Waves in Ocean Conservation

Prospex Glacier ‘Save the Ocean’ 1965 Re-Interpretation ©Seiko Prospex ‘Arctic Ocean’ – Save the Ocean GMT ©Seiko

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Prospex Glacier ‘Save the Ocean’ 1965 Re-Interpretation ©Seiko
Prospex ‘Arctic Ocean’ – Save the Ocean GMT ©Seiko