Reviewing the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Smoked Blue Limited Edition
Friday - 20 January 2023
Pushing boundaries in environmentally friendly watches and with a forward approach to new material experimentation, the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre watch makes for a great conversation starter and a positive step in the right direction for plastic waste reduction in our seas
If there is one thing that should make us aware of the sheer waste of plastic and its devastating effects on the planet it’s the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This thing, the size of Texas twice over, is a floating mass of trash that we humans are responsible for. It wreaks havoc with ocean ecosystems worldwide. What can we do about it? Buy a recycled watch made from plastics retrieved from this floating slurry for starters! That was Alpina’s thinking when it released the Seastrong Gyre watch. Taking its name from the circulating currents found within the ocean that hold this mass of rubbish together, the Alpina Seastrong Gyre watch, produced in collaboration with Dutch microbrand, Gyre is made from a load of disused fishing gear known as “ghost nets”. Limited to just 288 pieces worldwide, the model is available to order here at Jura Watches and features a unique case composition, a bold black bezel, a striking smoked blue dial and a comfortable two-toned blue NATO-style strap recycled from plastic bottles.
Recently, many luxury watch brands have been honing into a whole new way of manufacturing with more conservation awareness. Watch boxes have shrunk and watch cases and straps have been made from recycled or reclaimed materials. Last year, Alpina released the Seastrong Diver Gyre Smoked Blue Limited Edition watch, exclusive to just 288 pieces worldwide. Upon first impression, you may think the watch looks like any other standard dive watch – a stainless steel case with a black PVD-coated finish maybe? Yet after holding the watch, you come to realise the case is lightweight but doesn’t feel the same as titanium. It’s fragile yet rugged, and dense yet light, all at the same time and this is thanks to a composite case comprising 70% recycled PA and 30% glass fibre. Its broad 44mm case is also water resistant to 300 meters, making this limited edition Seastrong Diver Gyre watch both a practical and desirable tool all rolled into one.
The two-part case of the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Limited Edition watch holds a reliable automatic movement within its confident black-coated dimensions and features a screw-down crown stamped with the famous Alpina logo. Its 60-minute unidirectional rotating bezel is crafted from stainless steel with a black PVD coating and features legible scale markings that can be aligned with the minute hand for intuitive timekeeping underwater. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass front with plenty of anti-reflective technology applied to its surface creates a protective barrier between the smoked blue dial and the external elements. Applied silver indexes and hands have been treated with luminous material, whilst the second hand features a bright blue triangular base. These shades, of course, are in keeping with the watch’s two-tone rPET Nato-style strap, crafted from recycled plastic bottles. The outer edges of the strap are a light blue colour, whilst the central column running down the middle of the band is a darker blue shade. The strap comes with FSC-certified paper alongside an additional black apple leather band, presented in an rPET pouch.
The new Alpina Seastrong Diver is powered by the AL-525 Calibre, an automatic movement that has been used throughout the Seastrong range. It performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour and produces a power reserve of 38 hours. The movement is concealed behind an engraved steel caseback depicting the Swiss Alps.
The Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Limited Edition watch is an appealing collectable for fans of the brand and dive watch enthusiasts alike. Its ergonomic design certainly points to the future, making you truly contemplate what a world would be like if we were all a little more environmentally friendly in our way of living. Rightly so, one dive watch made from recycled fishing nets and ocean waste cannot change the world overnight, nor save the plastic waste problem, but if just a handful of 288 unique limited edition timepieces can get the watch nerd audience talking, who knows what can be possible?
If you’d like more information on the Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Limited Edition watch, you can check out the details here at Jura Watches, or call and speak to a member of our sales team today at 01335 453453
