A Watch that is Stylish and Sustainable!

The watch brand that I have in focus is the WoodWatch that is intent on making a difference to global deforestation or urbanisation by planting a tree for every WoodWatch sold. This brand is relatively young, having launched in 2013 by three friends (Read their story here: https://www.woodwatch.com/en/service/our-story/) and the design concept is based on their travel experiences, hence why their tagline is ‘Explore to Create’. This brand is based in Rotterdam and does feature the natural aesthetics of Netherlands. I received the model Reveler Kosso as a gift and this is one that I am going to share my experience about.

Obviously, the main material used is wood integrated with some stainless-steel parts. This particular watch is made using Kosso wood which is from Eastern Africa, and it has deep brown, light red as well as gold tones which gives the wood a natural glow. The dial is 45mm which is on the larger side, but due to the lightness of the wood as well as the design, it sits well on the wrist. 

The dial is grey in colour with black sword-hands that come with luminescence (I wasn’t expecting much brightness, but definitely surprised me) and a strikingly bright blue seconds hand that really works well with the grey dial. The black-coloured applied indices also feature visibly on the grey dial and makes readability better. The crystal is a sapphire-coated glass and does seem to have anti-reflective properties. The watch has a thickness of 11mm which is a decent and comes with a 22mm watch strap (again made of wood); the strap has a stainless-steel dual-button deployment clasp that has the WoodWatch logo on it (which is the letter ‘W’ on a maple leaf, would be interesting to learn the story behind this logo). The watch is powered by the Miyota Quartz movement 1L32/GL32 which is Miyota’s signature slim movement that offers the average +/- 20 seconds per month accuracy. Finally, the watch comes with a black riveted-crown that has the WoodWatch logo inscribed on it.

Staying with wood as the primary material, the watch-box is also made of wood and does provide a good unboxing experience which may not be important to some, but it is for me. Since they use wood for their watches and wanting to give back to the environment, the company works with ‘Trees For Future’ to plant trees through a program called Forest Gardens. The watch brand is currently planting trees in Fula Bantang, Gambia and has planted 500,000 so far.

The watch does have a couple of flaws such as the clasp getting stuck at times, seems like I might have to oil it a bit. The other thought I had was that they should have used their logo on the dial, rather than spelling out the name ‘WOODWATCH’ on it, but again, they might have a reason for doing it. Overall, this is a good, stylish, light, and sustainable watch which is well-priced below $200. Are you a watch fanatic who wants to or does something for the environment, then maybe this watch is for you? I can say that it looks cool, see some of the shots that was taken in the woods.