Our
phone-addicted culture has rendered the traditional timepiece all but unnecessary. But this once-beloved accessory is
now re-emerging as just that—a small wardrobe accoutrement that can make a big statement about personal style. In varieties ranging from digital to analog to biodegradable, watches are appearing on more and more young wrists every day.
May 28th: When Latvian designer and wristwatch-fanatic Agni Tilla failed to find the fun and colorful watches her heart desired, she decided to make her own. Her
resulting line of affordable analog timepieces features clear and colored plastic bands and bold, limited-edition designs at the watch face. A likely progression of the
organic materials movement, Tilla’s designs are inspired by natural shapes, materials, and textures –then revved up with her hipster-friendly sense of humor. For those too cautious to rock such bright colors and eye-catching patterns on a daily basis, Tilla’s recently debuted
Architect line offers a subtler alternative, featuring black-and-white styling, clean lines at the face, and the same affordable price point.
Sprout: Biodegradable materials have made notable appearances in
fashion and
footwear—and now, thanks to Sprout, they’re showing up in wristwatches, too. This eco-friendly brand uses organic recyclable fibers, mineral crystals, conflict-free diamonds, and mercury-free batteries to build its super-green collection of watches for
men and
women. Shoppers can choose styles based on their sustainable material of choice: organic cotton, corn resin, Tyvek fiber, or even fish skins (a stand-in for animal leathers). The traditional style of Sprout watches makes them the perfect choice for watch-adopters seeking a classic wristband without any accompanying leather guilt—though we doubt fish skins, sourced from the byproducts of fish farming, will garner approval in the
ever-growing vegan population.
LunaTik: For those not quite ready to make the switch from digital to analog, there’s LunaTick, a watchband that holds your iPod Nano to create a “multi-touch” watch with digital memory. Though
not the first Nano-watch on the market, the creators of LunaTik (and its slightly cheaper companion, TikTok) boast a collection of watchbands designed and engineered to match the quality of the Apple product they hold—and to outshine their simpler and less expensive Nano-watch predecessors. After
wildly surpassing its financial goal on Kickstarter, LunaTik seems to have met its objective: the watchbands, made with high-grade silicone rubber and stainless steel, have received
rave reviews among tech bloggers.
