Introducing: The ID Geneve Circular C SDG Limited Edition

What We Know

Sustainability remains an increasingly important topic in the watchmaking industry and in international business. We see many watch brands placing greater emphasis on this throughout all aspects of their operations from the suppliers they use to the materials they develop and the partnerships they engage in to give back.

ID Geneve was founded five years ago with sustainability as its central mission. However, the brand aimed to approach this realistically. “We know we won’t change the world with our watches,” says CEO and Co-Founder Nicolas Freudiger, “but we will use them as a platform to show how the world can change.”

The brand scored a major moment of growth and exposure just two years ago when it received a CHF 2 million seed round of investment funding thanks to buy-in from Leonardo DiCaprio and other investors. This propelled the brand toward the partnership we see today with the United Nations, marking the first luxury watch brand to officially partner with the international organization on a collaborative commercial product.

The design of the new Circular C SDG Limited Edition playfully draws inspiration from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015, that include affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and sustainable cities and communities. However, the core focus of the model comes down to the material used across the caseback, bezel, and dial. The same year ID Geneve received that monumental seed round (2023), the brand strategically partnered with a new supplier, CompPair. To date, CompPair has typically focused on composite material innovation in the mobility, aeronautics, and space industries with two main goals: extending the lifetime of materials to reduce waste and ultimately bringing full circularity to composite materials.

ID Geneve saw the potential for some of these materials in watchmaking and first introduced CompPair’s regenerative carbon using its proprietary HealTech technology in its flagship Circular C line later that year. With this material, we see CompPair’s potential on full display with a composite made from recycled carbon fibers that can repair itself with heat, drawing inspiration from the human body’s own healing abilities.

“If I have a cut on my hand, my body will regenerate,” explains Amael Cohades, CEO of CompPair, “We wanted to apply this to the composite materials we create, and in 2018, we made a nice discovery,” he continues. “We found that carbon could have self-healing potential with the application of heat while maintaining its standards and performance, which ultimately led us to our trademark HealTech technology.”

Since then, ID Geneve has begun to fulfill its mission to use its watches as a platform to elevate composite material innovation with the Swiss Federal Railways taking note of the material’s success in the Circular C and contracting CompPair to incorporate the regenerative carbon with HealTech technology in its trains. Now, ID Geneve is giving the material an even larger visibility platform thanks to the support of the United Nations.

The unveiling of the new Circular C SDG Limited Edition takes place today in New York City during the world’s largest annual climate event in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly and in coordination with the United Nations and the City of New York. “There are a lot of amazing nonprofit organizations out there who contribute to Climate Week and global sustainability,” says Freudiger, “but my objective with our participation in this year’s Climate Week in direct partnership with the United Nations was to showcase that businesses in the private sector also play a very important role in accomplishing these Sustainable Development Goals by creating awareness.”

However, the impact of the Circular C SDG Limited Edition isn’t just to create awareness. It also offers a new revenue stream for the United Nations with 10% of the total sales of the watches directly supporting initiatives advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

What We Think

Taking a moment to speak to the watch itself, it’s a versatile and lightweight sport model with a very organic look and feel. Thanks to the nicely articulated proportions between the dial, bezel, and lugs, along with the well-executed strap integration, the 41mm model wears well even on a petite wrist like mine measuring just 5.75 inches.

The regenerative carbon dial retains its natural appearance with small flecks throughout, giving the watch a soft look rather than stark all-black. If you know anything about me and my personal style, I’m a self-proclaimed rainbow girl. So, the interpretation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals dancing around the periphery of the dial and through the hour markers in a rainbow of hues, is right up my alley. Flip the watch over, and the exhibition caseback also features a full color wheel celebrating the SDGs and giving a peek at the ETA movement, which has been sourced from historical stock and fully overhauled.

I’ll admit with the current exchange rates, the price is a little steep for a casual sport watch from a young brand, but knowing what the model stands for and understanding that 10% of the total sale price goes towards fulfilling the SDGs likely makes it a worthwhile investment for those dedicated to the cause.

The Basics

Brand: ID Geneve x United Nations
Model: Circular C SDG Limited Edition
Reference Number: 103.099.00C

Diameter: 41.0mm
Thickness: 9.9mm
Case Material: Recycled stainless steel (10 times less impactful than traditional stainless steel), manufactured in Saignelégier, Switzerland, and black DLC coating applied in Geneva by Syvaco
Dial Color: Recycled regenerative carbon using HealTech by CompPair
Indexes: Applied hour markers featuring a molecular gradient effect
Lume: Innovative “3D block” Super-LumiNova technology developed by Billight
Strap/Bracelet: Non-plastic strap crafted from natural rubber, plant oils, and waxes, developed by MIRUM, and bio-sourced strap produced from grape residues from Château de Beaucastel, recovered after vinification, by NISIAR

The Movement

Caliber: ETA 2892, sourced from historical stock, fully overhauled and adapted to meet high precision standards
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Winding: Automatic, mechanical
Frequency: 28,800 VPH
Jewels: 21
Additional Details: Rotor decorated and adorned with a luminescent ID logo (SLN).

Pricing & Availability

Price: $10,500 USD
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 17 pieces

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