Emphasising its broader sustainability strategy, which includes responsible sourcing of coffee beans, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting recycling and waste reduction, Nespresso’s latest ‘Second Life’ collaboration is with watchmaker Hublot.
Through its Second Life initiative, Nespresso has, for the past seven years, promoted sustainability and waste reduction by encouraging the recycling and upcycling of Nespresso aluminium capsules.
Under the programme, Nespresso has partnered with various organisations and artists to turn used capsules into new and innovative products, including jewellery, furniture, and accessories. As well as creating beautiful items, the company also hopes to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and inspire customers to reduce their environmental footprint.
The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin enables Hublot to showcase its skills in forging new alloys and composites. The ultimate expression of its Art of Fusion, the new watch utilises Nespresso’s recycling system, which was developed in 1991 and separates aluminium from coffee grounds to allow each component to be reused.
In a world first, a coffee capsule has been transformed into a watch. Coffee grounds from the capsules have become watch straps. The case, bezel, crown and pusher are made from recycled aluminium that has been fused with Nespresso’s aluminium capsules.
The neon green colour represents the Nespresso Master Origins Peru Organic capsule’s signature colour and the trademark “N” of Nespresso is inscribed on the watch’s winding crown.
The 42mm case of the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is made of recycled aluminium, 28% of which is derived from Nespresso coffee capsules. It is then anodised with a vivid green colour, satin finished, and polished. The pusher and crown have undergone the same treatment.
The caseback is constructed from recycled titanium. The buckle on the Velcro strap, as well as the deployant clasp on the rubber strap share the same anodised green colour as the case.
The rubber straps – which include Hublot’s One Click interchangeable technology – have been developed using precise proportions of each ingredient, including 8.2% recycled white rubber, and 4.1% coffee grounds.
The Velcro straps meanwhile, have been created in partnership with SingTex, one of Nespresso’s partners. SingTex already markets a 100% recycled fabric called Scafé made from recycled coffee grounds and for the first time, Hublot has made a watch strap using this material that consists of 95% recycled polyester and 5% coffee grounds.
A uniform colour has been achieved, despite the combination of seven materials used in the watch including anodised aluminium, varnish, rubber, fabric, lining, hook and loop tape. This feat apparently took Hublot an entire year of R&D, in close collaborating with Nespresso, to master and to ensure the colour intensity would be long-lasting.
Both brands are keen to emphasise that the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is a symbolic timepiece that shows it is possible for recycled materials to become something precious and valuable.
Nespresso’s CEO Guillaume Le Cunff says of the new watch: “The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is the perfect illustration of the harmonious coexistence between circularity and luxury. It demonstrates that circular products can be just as elegant and refined as conventional luxury products, proving that it is possible to combine environmental values and aesthetic requirements without compromise.”
In another first Hublot is introducing the Greenbox case. A brand-new container developed and built by Hublot, the Greenbox will be used in all of the brand’s watch collections. It is fully made of oak, down to the hinges, and is carved from a traceable wood source whose production and sourcing both support short supply chains.
It is intended to be a reusable object and 98% of its removable inner components are composed of recycled and green materials including eco-labelled recycled paper and cardboard, plastic yarns, PET, and textiles that have been through the recycling process.
The Hublot Greenbox is uniquely embellished for the Nespresso collaboration with the logos of the two companies, which are attached using coffee grounds.
At this week’s launch, Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe said: “The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin is a watch born out of a close collaboration between two pioneering Swiss brands, both of whom were founded in the 1980s.
“This is a watch that delivers three world firsts: a symbol of the infinite possibilities for upcycling. It took the R&D teams a whole year to achieve the uniformity of colour, find the right balance of ingredients and perform the quality and durability testing on all the product components.”
Powering the watch is the 354-component HUB1280 Unico manufacture, self-winding chronograph movement with 72-hour power reserve.
On sale now, the watch retails at £20,800.
