The Sustainable Watches In The UK To Know

Here are my top sustainable watches available in the UK for every style and budget. From vegan timepieces to brands that give back – these eco-friendly styles for men and women are the ones to watch!

You may dress in ethical clothes and wear ethical shoes. But who says your timekeeping can’t be sustainable, too?

A host of watch manufacturers now offer sustainable options, catering to different budgets and styles. These are made from recycled, sustainable, cruelty-free, or vegan materials. Some even offer preloved options – offering an even more eco-friendly and budget-friendly way to keep track of the time.

Time is ticking. To help you avoid a time-consuming hunt for the perfect watch, I’ve rounded up the best sustainable and eco-friendly watch brands out there right now. Here are all the UK brands to know:

The Best Sustainable Watches

To help you out, I’ve thoroughly researched almost all the essential aspects you might want to consider. This includes examining the materials used, the manufacturing methods employed, the packaging practices, and the company’s commitment to giving back.

Detrash

⭐ Best For Watches Made From Recycled Materials

If you are looking for a watch made from recycled materials, then look no further than Dorset-based Detrash. This pioneering brand makes seriously stylish, limited-edition watches that are made using recycled materials.

Functionality and durability aren’t sacrificed for sustainability. Detrash watches tend to include durable features, such as the front being made from sapphire crystal (which resists scratching), water resistance up to 200 metres, and reliable automatic movements from Seiko.

Materials

Detrash watches are made from a range of reclaimed materials, including straps made from recycled ocean plastic and 80% recycled steel for the case. Not all materials are reclaimed and recycled, but it seems these are prioritised where it is practically possible.

Manufacturing

Unfortunately, there are no details available on where Detrash makes its watches. I’ll reach out to them and update here when I hear back.

Giving Back

At least 1% from each sale is donated to environmental charities, with Detrash’s current charity partner being Surfers Against Sewage. This is a UK-based marine conservation charity that works with communities to protect oceans, waves, beaches, and marine life.

Packaging

Each watch is packaged in 100% recycled, recyclable card and 100% recycled velvet made with offcuts from the fashion industry. Minimal packaging is used to reduce waste, space, and associated emissions.

Availability

Detrash watches are available directly from Detrash, starting from £375.

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The Sustainable Watch Company

⭐ Best For Wooden Watches

The Sustainable Watch Company is my top choice for wooden watches. Its stylish watches and straps are handmade from recycled natural wooden furniture. This helps to reduce furniture waste and the need to cut down trees.

Being made from wood, each watch and strap has a unique grain pattern and colour tone. This means each watch is a one-of-a-kind timepiece – no one else will have a watch exactly the same.

And as well as avoiding virgin wood, the Sustainable Watch Company plants a tree with every order. Talk about a positive impact!

Materials

The Sustainable Watch Company maximises its use of sustainable materials. As such, the watch face and straps are handmade from recycled wooden furniture.

The Sustainable Watch Company also doesn’t use any leather in its products. Meanwhile, the glues used are vegan-friendly, making its watches fully cruelty-free.

Manufacturing

The Sustainable Watch Company manufactures its watches in China. I reached out to the brand for more information about pay and working conditions. Rich, the founder, told me, “The facilities have been vetted and are held to EU standards and certifications, alongside living wage standards. All staff are paid a salary of 1.7 to 2.5 times higher than the basic salary in Shenzhen, depending on their role“.

Giving Back

The Sustainable Watch Company supports reforestation projects. It plants a tree for every order in collaboration with Ecologi – an organisation that funds climate projects. Through this partnership, it also offsets 100kg of carbon with every order. This is double the carbon generated by every order it ships.

Packaging

The Sustainable Watch Company uses eco-friendly packaging to package every order. Each watch is presented in a recyclable cardboard box. Meanwhile, paper postage packaging is used to send out your order.

Availability

Prices range from £59 to £299, and the full range of watches can be found at Not On The High St or Etsy.

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Votch

Votch is a UK watch brand that specialises in making cruelty-free and vegan watches for men and women.

Combining style and conscience, Votch produces high-quality, sustainable watches. These are made with ethically sourced materials to have the smallest impact on the environment.

For a clever touch, all Votch watch straps are interchangeable. This means you can switch up your look quickly and easily without having to buy multiple watches.

Materials

Some Votch watches are made from recyclable stainless steel. Others are made from vegan ‘EnviroLeather’ – a PVC-free faux leather.

Whilst vegan leather isn’t an environmental panacea, Votch strives to use vegan leather that has the smallest environmental impact. This means the vegan leather used by Votch is:

• PVC-Free
• PFC-Free
• Bromine-Free
• Contains no plasticisers
• Phthalate-free
• Passes CAL 01350 – the standard for low VOC emissions
• Has no added antimicrobial chemicals
• Has no flame retardants
• Bromine-Free
• Contains no heavy metals
• Includes recycled and renewable materials
• Cruelty-Free

Votch also trials the latest material innovations. As such, it works with a range of fabrics made from non-traditional materials. This includes Piñatex, a by-product of the pineapple industry. AppleSkin, a by-product from the apple juice industry, is also used.

Manufacturing

Votch manufactures all its watches in Shenzhen, China.

The Votch team has personally visited and vetted the factory. It guarantees the factory pays fairly. Votch also ensures the factory offers promotion opportunities and safe working facilities.

Giving Back

Every quarter, Votch partners with a different charity. Here, it donates a percentage of its profits made during this time to that quarter’s charity. Charities supported include animal charities such as Off The Plate Sanctuary. This charity rescues, rehabilitates, and provides life-long care to neglected farm animals.

Packaging

All of Votch’s sustainable watches are packaged in recyclable materials for a low environmental impact.

Availability

Find Votch at Natural Collection, in a range of vegan-friendly styles for men and women, all at around £120. You can also find vegan-friendly Apple Watch-compatible straps from Votch.

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Nordgreen

⭐ Best For Minimalist Watches

Nordgreen, the Danish eco-friendly watch brand, makes stylish, sustainable, and timeless watches for men and women.

As a Certified B Corp – a business that balances people, planet, and profit – Nordgreen’s minimalist watches are made from conflict-free and non-toxic materials. Vegan options are available. And you can even shop Nordgreen’s preloved refurbished watch section, for a watch with an even lighter environmental footprint.

Materials

Nordgreen uses a variety of non-toxic materials to make its watches. This allows you to pick which material aligns with your personal ethics.

Some ranges are made from recyclable stainless steel or brushed metal. This gives a timeless look that avoids both the use of animal products and plastic.

The vegan range is made from vegan leather. This does not contain conflict minerals, heavy metal stabilisers, phthalates, persistent organic pollutants, or toxic by-products. What’s more, over 99% of the solvents used to make Nordgreen’s vegan leather are recaptured and recycled.

When it comes to Nordgreen’s leather-based products, the leather originates from Italian tanneries. All tanneries are members of the Leather Working Group. This is a stakeholder group that promotes responsible leather production. Alternatively, they may hold other relevant responsible tannery accreditations.

Nordgreen’s entire collection is also consistently reassessed to see where more sustainable material and design choices can be made.

Manufacturing

All Nordgreen watches are designed in Denmark. They are then ethically manufactured in China in a Danish-owned factory. This adheres to the highest standards, whilst following stringent Danish/EU labour practices.

Packaging

As you would expect from a sustainable watch brand, the packaging is made from FSC-certified cardboard. This ensures that the cardboard is sourced from woodlands managed in a way that preserves biological diversity. The certification also ensures the woodlands benefit the lives of local people and workers.

The only addition is a felt lining. Made from recycled plastic bottles, this keeps your watch scratch-free.

Availability

Nordgreen watches are available in the UK at F.Hinds jewellers.

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Vestiaire Collective

⭐ Best For Preloved Designer Watches

If you covet a designer watch, but it’s out of your budget, then try Vestiaire Collective. This resale platform for luxury designer goods is the perfect place to pick up a sustainable designer watch at preloved prices.

Here you’ll find preloved designer watches for both men and women at a fraction of the retail price. You’ll find luxury brands such as Gucci, Hermes, Chanel, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton. And you’ll also find other, more affordable, designer brands. All in all, this certified B-Corp is a great place to pick up a planet-friendly bargain.

Finding the right watch is easy. Set your budget, and then use the filter to narrow your selection. Filter by brand, colour, condition, materials, and watch mechanism.

Removing The Counterfeit Risk

Buying preloved designer pieces online on some platforms can be risky. However, Vestiaire Collective stamps out the trade of counterfeit goods. This means you can shop with confidence.

Vestiaire Collective has a rigorous process of authentication. The trained authenticators use image analysis to vet and pre-authenticate every item. The team also checks the reliability of the seller.

And for extra peace of mind, you can pay a £15 physical authenticity fee at the point of purchase. This means that when you buy an item, the item first goes to Vestiaire Collective. Here, the skilled team physically authenticates your purchase in person.

The team also makes sure that your item is exactly as the seller described it, so there are no nasty surprises.

More Sustainable Accessories Resources

Looking for more ethical accessories? I’ve got heaps of handy guides:

• Try my big guide to ethical bags.
• Alternatively, try my guide to ethical backpacks.
• And my guide to greenwashing in the jewellery industry helps you identify the potential pitfalls to be wary of.