With 98.6% of recycled-based material by weight the watch creates a model for circular watchmaking practices.
For generations, Panerai has pioneered advancements in contemporary watchmaking. The brand has consistently proposed novel proportions, materials, and technologies with transformative and far-reaching impact. That track record continues with what may prove to be its most disruptive offering yet. With the introduction of Submersible eLAB-ID™, the watch with the highest percentage of recycled based material ever made, Panerai is poised to lead a movement toward more environmentally responsible watch manufacturing.
Submersible eLAB-ID™ is an unprecedented achievement in the history of the watch industry. A total of 98.6% of its weight comes from materials integrating a high rate of recycled elements. Its case, sandwich dial and bridges are composed of EcoTitanium™, a recycled titanium alloy that is a lightweight aerospace-grade metal made of more than 80% pure recycled content. Submersible eLAB-ID™ is the first watch to use 100% recycled SuperLuminova™ on its dial and hands and 100% recycled silicon for its movement escapement. Both are obtained through dedicated, small-scale recycling processes that reuse raw material waste. From the sapphire crystal to the gold hands, most of the major components contain recycled based material.
A marvel of innovation and dedication, Submersible eLAB-ID™ is a major accomplishment for Panerai and a tribute to the creativity and tenacity of the Laboratorio di Idee, the research and development incubator that drives the brand’s technical advancements. More significantly, Submersible eLAB-ID™ is an opportunity for the watch industry to understand that making a watch using predominantly recycled-based material is possible, thus reducing the need for virgin material extraction and its associated high environmental impact. Panerai invites collaboration with other brands or partners eager to work toward creating a more sustainable future based on a circular use of natural resources.
Sourcing the recycled materials needed to build a watch from scratch required Panerai to establish a new supply chain. To realize the ambitious scope of the Submersible eLAB-ID™ project, Panerai challenged partners and suppliers from the watch industry and categories as diverse as aerospace and automobiles, to embark on a journey of experimentation and exploration. Many of them had never worked with such high levels of recycled content before but did so to help bring the watch concept to life.
“We will be very happy if all our peers in Switzerland and around the world get in touch with the same suppliers to use the same materials,” said Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. The looming environmental crisis will have a global impact, and it will require a global effort to combat it. Panerai is prepared to lead the effort in the watch sector.
With Submersible eLAB-ID™, the brand has created a model that will serve as a blueprint for others to follow and build upon. “We don’t want to be the only one doing this,” said Mr. Pontroué. “Acting alone won’t save the world.”
