It’s rare to see the worlds of watches and coffee come together, especially on brand-driven collaborative projects. Last year, we saw the espresso-inspired Unimatic set of brown timepieces, but those were a solo endeavor by the Italian watchmaker. However, this past weekend, we got blessed with a magical release from one of the biggest coffee companies in the world and a legend in the watch community. We present to you: the Hublot Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin, which is made with recycled coffee grounds and aluminum Nespresso pods.
On the surface, this timepiece is instantly striking, innovative, and a little random. Yet, if we dig a little deeper, it makes a lot of sense. Let’s start by taking it back to Nespresso’s importance in the home coffee community. In the mid-’70s, Nestlé’s Eric Favre invented the hermetically-sealed, single-use coffee capsule called the Nespresso, revolutionizing the industry and cornering the market with its patented invention (the patent expired in 2012). Yet over the years, environmentalists become more and more vocal about the negative impact on aluminum- and plastic-based pods that were just ending up in landfill. In the ‘90s, however, Nestlé started its own complimentary recycling program, collecting bags of used pods from consumers and putting them back into their new pods.
Powered by an in-house chronograph movement, this skeletonized take on Hublot’s iconic Big Bang model is the first watch in the world to be made in part with recycled coffee and coffee capsules. 28% of the aluminum composite used for the 42mm satin-finished and polished green case, bezel, crown, and pushers comes from previously-used pods. The two strap options — either a rubber or Velcro fabric version — are made with a small part of recycled coffee grounds. So this means that, if you’re a Nespresso user at home, there’s a chance that you could be wearing the actual coffee that you once consumed on your wrist (although there’s no way of knowing).
If you want one of these limited-edition timepieces for yourself, you’ll have to hurry up because there are only 200 pieces available. Head over to Hublot’s website to purchase the Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin for $24,100.
