Fast fashion is a term that means cheap clothes, often worn a few times and then binned. Not good and arguably one the reasons why sweatshops exist in the UK to this day, instead of being consigned to the grim history of the hungry 30s. Of course there are `fast’ watches too, priced at under £15 and usually battery powered quartz models made from cheap plastics – you can see them in supermarkets, market halls and car boot sales.
But maybe it’s time to change all that. Ditch battery powered watches completely, phase them out by 2025? We think solar powered watches are the future of fashion brand watchmaking. Let’s be honest, the battery powered quartz watch is a 1970s mass-market technology and incredibly wasteful of the planet’s resources, although many batteries CAN be recycled as scrap metal.
The market leading brand is Citizen of course with their Eco-Drive movements, and Seiko has also done well as regards selling the solar dream. So it’s good to report that Indie brands are doing it too. Vervandi are based in Norway and as you’d expect their watches are clean, kinda minimalist and feature a nice fume grey dial too.
Priced at £135 on an early bird Kickstarter deal, the project has exceeded its funding target and deliveries are expected in September. You get the watch in a travel pouch made from bamboo, which is sustainable wood and there’s a choice of 36mm or 40mm case sizes.
We like the green dial best – just saying 😉
Here’s the spec details from Verdandi;
No shortcuts were made when sourcing for materials. These timepieces are made to last. You’ll find a lot of the same materials used in high end watches by well known brands. By using 316L surgical grade stainless steel as case material, the finish on the watch looks amazing. The same material is used for the mesh band that comes with the watch. The glass is a very scratch resistant sapphire crystal with an anti reflective coating on the inside. These timepieces will be available in a 36mm and a 40mm option.
- Size: 40mm Case – 46mm lug to lug – Lug width 20mm
- Size: 36mm Case – 42mm lug to lug – Lug width 16mm
- Thickness: 7,7mm
- 316L Stainless steel case
- 316L Stainless steel mesh band
- Sapphire crystal glass
- AR coating
- Solar powered movement from Epson. VS17a