The first ever “green” watch?

World's First Eco Friendly Watch

The Ray is a new limited edition watch on the scene, and it claims to be the “first ever green timepiece” available.  Frankly I have my doubts, but let’s get into it nevertheless.

Made from sustainable harvested ebony wood for its high density and durability, and using automatic movement instead of batteries, the watch has a 5 year warranty, which means it will probably last a long time if you take care of it. This isn’t really exceptional, though.  Most automatic watches last forever (well-made ones) if you take proper care of their mechanics. I’m also not sure I follow the reasoning behind making a watch from rare wood, but I digress.

Only 1,000 of these watches are available worldwide as of right now, which might explain the $500 price tag. Apparently the entire design process, even down to the method of shipment of the raw materials, was considered to lighten its ecological footprint.

Eco-Points of The Ray:

Real ebony wood sourced from sustainable managed forests, which means that for every tree used another is planted. The case and links are from solid chunks of wood, not laminate!This wood was chosen for its high density and durable characteristics.100% recyclable anti-allergy 316L stainless steel 100% recyclable aluminum 100% recyclable mineral crystal 100% solvent free links, 27 jewel stainless steel and brass automatic movement.

An automatic movement watch needs no batteries, which reduces waste and extends the life of the product. A traditional battery operated movement has a life of 18 months compared to the endless potential of a mechanical movement.

5 Year Warranty

The Ray is handcrafted, which they say reduces the amount of oil consumed during manufacturing, and is packaged in recycled cardboard designed to use 30% less material (though less material than what, the website fails to mention).

While it has a lot of excellent features, there are still some issues with it – such as using ebony wood (while the particular wood used here may be being sustainably harvested, is still a highly controversial choice) instead of a more sustainable and locally sourced wood, and using recyclable metals instead of recycled metals. For every pro there is a con and vice versa.