WEwood watches are the brainchild of an Italian shoemaker who loves watches and two entrepreneurs who are eager to restore the earth we devoured in just 250 years; together they have grown a sustainable, avant-garde business that has expanded its reach from Florence to Los Angeles and most recently to Cairo.
Each unique piece is made of salvaged wood that would have been scrapped otherwise and fitted with Miyota’s state of the art timekeeping mechanism. They are splash-proof and svelte and contain nary a toxic, artificial chemical. Hit the jump to see a few images and to find out how to make one your own.
WEwood uses seven different kinds of wood as the source material for their bespoke natural watches, including Blackwood, Maple and Indian Rosewood. And their eco-ethos doesn’t end there.
When they opened a branch in Los Angeles, WEwood teamed up with American Forests – a tree-planting organization.
“With this happy pact, the goal is to help restore Mother Nature, one watch at a time, by planting a tree for every WeWOOD purchased,” according to the company literature.
“In just the first three months, WEwood planted 5,000 trees with American Forests, and sets challenging targets for 2012 and beyond. Keeping forests healthy and happy keeps us healthy and happy, we like to keep our reminder on our wrist.”
Usually, products like these are much harder to come by in the Middle East and North Africa. There are a few cottage industries in Cairo, Luxor, Siwa and beyond that sell sustainable goods, but rarely with such a wholesome Florentine flair and finish. So it’s very exciting to find an Egyptian dealer.
That being said, quality like this doesn’t come cheap, so these watches are definitely aimed at a relatively affluent market. Whilst they’re not as grossly priced as a Rolex, they’re certainly not affordable for the average Cairene tomato vendor.
But don’t get us wrong. Genuinely sustainable products are more expensive because greater effort goes into their production, they aren’t mass manufactured and almost obsessive attention is paid to every detail. Frankly, anything that’s too cheap was probably made in China.
To purchase your own WEwood watch, send an email to: [email protected]
More Sustainable Goodness From Egypt:
Egypt May Survive Climate Change Thanks to AUC Students
KarmSolar Prize May Avail Off-Grid Solar Pump to Rural Egypt
Eco-Friendly Bakery Gives Historic Presidential Voters Free Pastries
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
excellent la star qui montre sa montre en bois
Thanks for the post. I really enjoyed it! This is my first time on your site, and I never thought I’d be asking this, but how much is a basic mens watch? Just the neighborhood pls. Those are way cool and I really like the fact these efforts replant the forests as their harvest pushes on. Go Green, Go Earth-smart. Oh and by the way, we have a green site of our own so come fancy our running blog, The WormFarm Chronicles! Right now we’re talking about worm composting in the dining room — http://www.gottabgreen.com/blog.html