This week, Swiss sport-watch brand Alpina unveiled new models in its popular Seastrong dive-watch series, headlined by the new Diver Gyre Automatic — the first dive watch to boast a case made fully of recycled material. The new, sustainability-focused sub-family watches includes five references: two 36-mm models geared towards the ladies’ market and three 44-mm options focused on the men’s — all with composite cases made primarily from fishing net waste and blue dials in various shades. The new Gyre watches have been launched to support World Ocean Day, which occurred earlier this week, in partnership with the start-up Gyre Watch, whose name references giant circular ocean current and is responsible for sourcing the case’s recycled material, and with Surfrider Foundation Europe, a non-profit that works towards ocean preservation.
All of the watches — both 36-mm and 44-mm — use the same general design scheme, varying mainly only in their dial colors. The black composite material used for the cases is about 70% recycled plastic and 30% glass fiber. The case is built in the style of previous Seastrong Divers, with its geometric pillow-style shape, complete with two small crown guards and a layered crown. Surrounding the dial is a matching unidirectional bezel complete with a 60-minute diving scale. The latter element is constructed not from the composite material but in steel with black PVD to impart the front of the watch an extra layer of durability. Underneath the sapphire crystal, the dials offer shades of blue and turquoise (the turquoise-dial models feature two strap options; see below) in the 44-mm editions. Blue shades and dyed mother-of-pearl are the options in the 36-mm editions.
The dial of the Seastrong Gyre watch has the familiar Seastrong configuration, with an understated outer minute ring punctuated at each hour with applied hour markers, the Alpina brand triangle at the tip of the dial, and a subtle date window at the 3 o’clock position. Time is kept via two skeletonized sword hands for the hours and minutes, while a thin pointer with a colorized, skeletonized counterweight counts the seconds. Beating inside the 300-meter water-resistant case is the AL-525 (based on the Sellita SW200-1), an automatic caliber with a 38-hour power reserve and protected behind a solid caseback.
The Alpina Seastrong Diver Gyre Automatic will be limited to 1,883 examples for each execution, with prices beginning at $1,295 for the Smoked Blue Ladies edition and going up to $1,395 for all other models.
To learn more and inquire for purchase, you can visit Alpina’s website, here.
