Nespresso Crafts $24,000 Hublot Watch From Recycled Coffee Pods And Grounds

In an unexpected collaboration with luxury watchmaker Hublot, coffee giant Nespresso has recently made its foray into the fashion world with a US$24,000 limited-edition timepiece, dubbed the Hublot Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin.

Unlike other luxury watches made from precious metals, this limited run of 200 timepieces will be crafted from a greener, more sustainable material: recycled coffee pods, with bits of leftover coffee grounds included.

The two Swiss brands decided to take on the challenge of creating a high-fashion timepiece from an unconventional starting point as a way to show how both time and materials can be circular, bringing the practice of sustainability to life in an actual product.

Recycled coffee grounds from capsules were transformed into two watch straps—a rubber version and a Velcro fabric iteration. For the fabric strap, Hublot worked with Nespresso partner Singtex, a company already using the leftover material to produce a fabric named S.Café.

Then, the companies took the recycled aluminum capsules and turned them into the case, bezel, crown, and pushers of the watch. The unmistakable Nespresso logo makes a subtle appearance on the chronometer’s crown.

According to Tasting Table, the wristwatch boasts a special Unico automatic chronograph, featuring the workings of 354 separate components on its face. 28% of recycled pods are used in every watch case, while the strap comprises 4.1% coffee grounds and 8.2% recycled rubber.

The additional fabric strap is composed of 5% coffee grounds and 95% recycled polyester. Intriguingly, the watch’s bright green hue was chosen to spotlight the timepiece’s sustainable origins and matches the shade on the Master Origins Peru Organic Nespresso pod.

“Nespresso is proud to join forces with Hublot to create the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin. This exceptional watch is the result of a partnership between two Swiss companies who both have the same values of innovation, quality, sustainability,” said CEO Guillaume Le Cunff.

[via Tasting Table and Hodinkee, images via various sources]