Watches say who we are. As every gentleman's most visible constant style statement, these functional pieces of jewellery need to be selected with great care, if they're to transmit the right message. Nordgreen, a fresh Danish brand which showcases both the finest of subtle Scandinavian design and a new take on sustainability, are very much aware of that. And we're great fans.
Design excellence is built in, not least because the man in charge of each Nordgreen piece has his work in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He's chief designer Jakob Wagner, who aims to meld aesthetics with optimum functionality, in the great Scandinavian tradition. "I don't think so much about the product," he says, "I think about the person using it, the context."
One key message is very much that less is more. These minimalist watches conceal the high technology of a Japanese quartz movement. A select range of colourways as well as your choice of interchangeable strap designs and materials allow each watch to feel almost bespoke.
This was always the plan. Nordgreen founders Pascar Sivam and Vasilij Brandt set out to create a new watch brand that would draw on the finest of pared-back Danish design while embracing the invigorating future of sustainability. As they point out with characteristic Scandinavian candour, "the most sustainable thing you can do is not to wear a watch. We want to be the best alternative to that".
A major innovation is the company's "Giving Back" programme, formulated in partnership with three established non-governmental agencies. Every watch-buyer selects which cause they'd like their purchase to support, a process that involves something of an education process. It is, say Nordgreen, very Scandinavian in ethos.
Watch construction is in Danish-owned factories in China, ensuring both fair working conditions and living wages. Not to mention the desirable by-product that these are watches that not only look good in their deliberate understatement, but feel good too, on a much deeper and more profound level. In an entirely new way, a Nordgreen watch makes a real statement.
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