I have been without a personal timepiece since my last watch broke just after my green epiphany. It didn’t feel right buying a replacement made from plastic or metal, so I didn’t. I did look for a more sustainable alternative, but at the time, there were none that I could find.
Now imagine my surprise many years later when I was approached by Jord out of the USA, who make wooden watches from sustainable sources. They asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a wooden watch.
Now and again I get approached by companies to review a product so that they can gain exposure to their target audience. If it is a sustainable or a green product that replaces a less sustainable product, I check for greenwashing first and if it is up to spec, then and only then am I happy to review it. The company usually supplies a sample which I provide an honest review. In this instance, I took up Jord’s offer.
Wooden Watch [Ely – Natural Green & Maple]
Photos by Kim Webber
Wooden Watch – Ely – Natural Green & Maple
I was given a few choices from their catalogue so I decided upon the Ely – Natural Green & Maple model. I was so impressed with the design and craftsmanship of this watch. It ticks all the boxes as far as I am concerned (no pun intended), and is eye-catching. Truly a work of art.
The added bonus is that it is made from wood sourced sustainably.
Kim mentioned something worth repeating here. She said that it so difficult to buy a green gift that is not under the category of gardening /solar tech /compost / gumboots. She thinks that it is great that a nice watch can be a beautiful green personal gift as well. I agree.
So, it arrived in the post today, which took about 10 days from the US. Not bad delivery times.
The box was post consumer cardboard, which was a nice touch. The watch itself is of sturdy construction, and the band can be adjusted easily by removing a link via screws if it is too large.
Fashion is not my strong point, and I usually wear things until they drop off me. That also goes for watches as well. Thankfully Kim does know a bit about fashion, and likes this very much. I do too. The natural grains look amazing.
Now you probably think this could cost a fortune, but here in lays the best surprise of all. This model retails for only US$129 (about A$138.50 or €95 or £77). Nice!
Giveaway!
Here is the best bit. Jord have kindly offered to provide another watch of the same model for a giveaway to one of my lucky readers.
So on with the giveaway dear readers. I am sure there are a few of you out there that would like to win this lovely wooden watch.
To win the watch pictured here, please enter below by logging in using the rafflecopter widget to be registered for the draw. I have been caught out with give aways on the blog before, when people leave a comment, but don’t collect their prize. This widget takes the guess work out of who has entered.
Then leave a comment telling me why we need more sustainable products like this one. Easy as pie.
The entry will be chosen using a random number generator. I will then send the winner a coupon code that they can redeem it at the Jord website.
The giveaway will run for a week and will be drawn at 7pm Monday 9th June (Australian Eastern Standard time).
If I can also ask a favour that you share this giveaway with as many people as you like via the share buttons below, that would be fantastic. If they leave a comment and use the giveaway widget, then they are in the draw as well.
You have to be in it to win it!
Obviously because we need everyones efforts, no matter how small, to turn this titanic mess around. 🙂
My last wooden watch only let me count years based on the number of bark rings. This new version seems a big leap forward.
Oh I agree Kim, they are fashionable and also are a great gift idea. Often our friends are like minded and so they already have a shed full of green items or a house full of green giftware. I think this watch is a real statement piece that will generate a lot of comments by those seeing it. A great opportunity to give the green speech.
The amount of packaging alone on most gifts regardless of what’s inside is enough to make you sad. I was very happy this year that none of my birthday gifts came in any kind of wrapping.
Wow I so lov the style . With so many throw away products that never get recycled or made from recycled products its a wonderful idea. Even more so when u have allergies to most watches.can c a big scope for this product
Nice idea! Kim is right too, it is always the gardening stuff that is a ‘green gift’.I have noticed people have actually stopped wearing watches now and just use their mobiles…nice to see a genuine time piece with a green theme.
Love the eco statement it makes.
We really do need truly sustainable choices in the market. Sometimes the best we can do is buy what causes LESS damage rather than none, and it is really hard to see through the greenwash and walk past the “Bargains”. My friends truly don’t know why I spend $15-20 on one or two tops for my children when the chain stores sell the unethical and unsustainable $3 tee shirts. So cheap it becomes disposable!
I guess what I am saying (rant over) is that I’m glad you found something that “ticks” the boxes, after all not everyone would go to the trouble of even having boxes to tick other than price and looks!
I am with you Gav in wearing it until it falls off and the more fashionable of my outfits are hand me downs from fashionable people. As someone who is allergic to many metals I love the idea of a very low allergen watch and would be interested to see if they have a feminine line (not that I care all that much to be honest). Love the watch and love the beauty of it too. Not only a great eco gift but a great gift for those in the timber trade too. 🙂
LOL, giveaway – now that’s one way to get lots of comments.
More companies offering sustainable and attractive choices for consumers will lead to more consumers choosing sustainable products. WIN!
Sustainable products are sooo much better for the environment and because they are so close to nature, I find them to also be better for our bodies and overall health.
Kim is absolutely right at it being a perfect environmentally friendly gift. How many times do we want to give something sustainable that isn’t a load of cow manure (I love that kind of gift) or something solar but still want it to be something super special. I could see this watch as a brilliant 21st present or wedding/ anniversary gift for someone special and I was so surprised at the price – it really wasn’t expensive for the quality and workmanship that is in the watch. Lucky you to have such a fabulous watch to wear.
I think it’s obvious why we need more sustainable products, I think the real question is why more people don’t see that we need them.
Things like this watch really draw people’s attention to the idea that sustainable products, can be fashionable, cool, interesting, everyday things, not just something that’s good for the environment. I believe it helps those who wouldn’t necessarily be contemplating sustainable living to really start thinking about it.
The watch looks really beautiful and its a refreshing change from gold and silver.
Ho Gavin. I have seen a wooden watch like this one in Melbourne stores and love the concept. We all buy far too much processed, packaged, commercial junk nowadays and need more sustainable products like this one. Good on you for doing your bit to educate and encourage others. Legend!!
I think there should be more sustainable products like this watch because it is so important for our future that we take care of the environment now!
If we can chose sustainable products, why wouldn’t we?
I think we should have more sustainable products like the wooden watch because it is practical.
I wonder about the green credentials of this watch, it does have the same internal components, and despite being recyclable packaging, having minimal packaging would be best, then I guess it would be harder to sell. Do people need watches any more, with phones at hand? One less thing to buy, maintain and provide batteries for.
Hi Gavin, You are right, it probably does have the same internal workings as a normal watch. I did think about this before I chose to review the wrist watch, but came to the conclusion that if you needed a watch, this would be a far better option. Thanks for at least questioning this point. It provided an alternate point of view, which I welcome.
However, your point about people not really needing watches could go either way. I could also make the same argument about mobile phones. Do we really need them either? At least a watch doesn’t come with a plan that drains your back pocket month after month.
Gav 😉
We need more sustainable products like this one, because oil is a finite resource, and I reckon the wood makes a really beautiful statement as well as being renewable. I’m currently waiting for my laptop to kick the bucket, so I can replace it with an Asus Bamboo netbook.
Shouldn’t there be a sustainable option for all the things we need? I, too, have gone without a watch for quite a while as I wasn’t sure I really needed one – and I haven’t missed it. As a woman, I like this watch for a nice accessory to wear when going out though. Cheers Kathryn
Spreading the word about the availability of things like this might hopefully encourage others to also produce more sustainable products.
The more sustainable items that are available, the more we are reminded to live sustainably.
We need more sustainable products that are beautiful as well as functional, and for every day use. Everyday is a battle against the time 🙂 we have left to save this mothership. 🙂
Since I’m a gardener and use a lot of environmentally friendly stuff, I guess I never noticed that they aren’t so prevalent elsewhere. Obviously, it will be better for us all the more products that are in the marketplace. But it will also raise awareness. Just as once people first started bringing their own shopping bags to the market (in the US), it is now become a quite common and normal thing, so people will start using other “green” things if they are made. “Build them and they will buy” is the way.
We need more fwd thinkers like this , everything we see is plastic
I totally agree with Kim. That watch is beautiful Gavin! Would compliment our way of life totally, wooden toothbrushes, hair brushes, wood stove oven. We just have to look at the changing weather patterns to realise something has to change!
With so many of our worlds resources being limited we have to use them wisely. Taking advantage of the sustainable ones is a brilliant plan and beautiful, functional objects can be produced without unnecessarily impacting the future.
wow I read wooden watch and wasnt sure that I wanted to go any further! that is really nice. not at all what i expected.
i love these watches and sustainable products. its important for us to take care of and use carefully what we have on this earth and products like this help that cause. Id love to see more like this!
I’ve seen wooden watches in a couple of places recently, and I think they are a great idea. Especially when made out of real wood, and not bamboo laminate glued together! Kim has a point – men gift options are usually gardening, golf and shaving accessories, and when you through green and ethical into the mix there’s not much left! It’s also good mindfulness practice to use a watch rather than check your phone (as most people do these days) – because then you see you have a message, so you reply, check your email, look on Facebook, see what’s going on in the news…and an hour has passed! If you want to get more done in your day, I think you need a watch or a wall clock – or a lot of extra willpower! : )
it’s a great looking watch and a great alternative if you’re after a watch (which are still quite popular despite the high usage of smartphones) and makes a great greener gift as the options are generally a little limited to practical items. the price is reasonable considering the quality of workmanship for the item too. not the greenest item ever but not the worst either and better than other options.
Hello Gavin,
A great little giveaway. Thank you for sharing with us. An item I have looked at a few times to spoil myself with, and as you mentioned in your post ticks the boxes. The more manufactures that look to the future the better, and let there be more here in the land of OZ.
We need more sustainable products like this one because it can be done.
If we really want.
And it’s just as good as anything else.
great look, great statement, even better price
II’ve never worn a watch, but I think I could wear this!
After all, when the zombie apocalypse hits, a girl needs to tell the time on a sustainable, attractive watch like this one! As times get grimmer, we need to look for more ways to keep the little luxuries we have without relying on non-renewable resources to source them from.
I need a new watch. This one looks perfect and makes a green statement.
It is a beautiful thing, I am always looking for items that aren’t focussed on petrochemicals ot minerals that we have to pull out of the ground. this is definitely sustainable ,
wow a wooden watch I’m so impressed .I’d love one as I don’t like wearing any metal on my skin …and how stylish and green perfect combo …so agree with most of the other comments and all the plastic packaging when buying watches these days…hope to see an Ozzie company making these in the future…Since becoming green my family pretty well wears things to they literally fall apart to Gavin …don’t like buying new things unless we really need them ….
If we don’t produce long lasting sustainable items like this awesome watch we won’t have a planet Earth left to leave to our children and grandchildren.
Would it not be great if we Aussie’s made these watches here on our own soil. It is a good beginning for a more sustainable world. I love the idea of composting the band when it breaks or wears out. I wonder if you can buy a replacement band?
We need more sustainably desisigned products quite simply because if every product designed and sold was thoughtful of the environment we could reduce our massive negative impact.
As we live in a disposable world it is great to see a product that is sustainably sourced. More products like this would help get rid of the throw away mentality where almost nothing can be affordably fixed these days. Let’s start thinking about our children and grandchildren’s future and return to a more make do and mend mentality.
We need more products like this because less of almost everything is nearly always best. It’s so foolish to presume that we can improve on the beautiful gifts that Mother Nature has already perfected and given to us, and besides, good planets are so hard to find.
This is simply a beautiful timepiece that embraces simplicity and natural living
HI Gavin, I have been following a while now all the way from South Africa. I love the craftsmanship of the watch, and although it would be greener if it was the old fashioned wind up mechanism it is certainly a step in the right direction of cooling our heating up Earth. Every little bit helps 🙂 Laura
I just headed here from Rabidlittlehippy and LOVE that watch. It is absolutely beautiful and even if Earl DID eat it off my wrist I would proudly wear it till he did 🙂 Cheers for giving us the chance to have a go at winning it 🙂
Gifting responsibly can be so difficult. Gifts like this watch appeal to a wide cross section of people while advocating sustainability in consumer choices.
I like to think I do the best within my capabilities and knowledge, and being able to add a watch like this to my everyday to replace my metal, rubber and plastic styles will be helping that little bit more. I checked out the rest of the range and win or not I think I’m gonna have to invest in the Ely Cherry watch, it’s beautiful!
hi! thanks for the chance of winning such a lovely watch! i have seen these but it’s out of my price range, so we go without a watch.
we need more products as sustainable as these as it lessens the strains on the environment. so often i hear off the toxic dyes, off runs etc from manufacturing of jeans, football merchandise, shirts, dresses… it’s terrible that we live in a world where you can pollute so badly & pay peanuts to workers all in order for “low prices everyday” and other such jingles… only for that item to be stained/lost/trashed/broken/out-of fashion and discarded so quickly!
Gavin, products like this are great because, above and beyond being built in a sustainable manner, they help educate us on such matters, which could result in a much more powerful outcome: large scale movements towards sustainable practices.
Fashion based form, everyday function teamed with sustainability, Gavin you’re a doll for sharing this little gem with all of us!!!
We only have one planet, and as a species we are unfortunately systematically trying our best to destroy it. This is a statement of working with what nature can sustainably provide, instead if what we can remove from the planet with a finite quantity.
I love that this piece is a conversation starter on sustainability! You can share with others that have no idea about it. I love pieces that can return to the earth and not destroy it.
I have been blessed with 4 children and have often been told that I was environmentally irresponsible for bringing far too many people into the world.
This was something that weighed quite heavily on me and many years ago I set about trying to reduce our footprint as much as we possibly could. I am proud to say that our larger family produces less waste, uses less water and electricity than most of our smaller family counterparts. I also try to encourage homemade and handmade gifts, and I teach them the craft of being bale to do this themselves.
I am hopeful that I raising four very environmentally conscious children, who may one day provide a major break through in sustainability.
That is so beautiful. I love the fact that it’s wood, so different in addition to being sustainable. I just found your blog from a cheesemaking blog, so it was great timing.
Hello Gav,
I tried using the email way of entering the competition and failed hopelessly, but I’ll tell you what I think about this watch here. It just looks beautiful…… like all things made with soft wood, it must be lovely and smooth on the wrist. If it’s mechanism has been made to last….then it’s another sustainable plus. I suppose you could burn the band at a pizza party when it finally dies or compost it…….and the mechanism….hard rubbish collection. Cheers Anita
I’m often torn between buying gifts for special occasions for my family and the need to reduce my consumption, but with these wood watches would meet all my criteria of sustainability, practicality and excellent workmanship and I would definitely like to support more thoughtful gift options such as this. Ps my husband is crazy for watches, so even more reason to support this product 🙂
Open internationally ?
Yes, the prize ships from the USA
Because it’s a good way to sustain eco fashion !
simple and natural is the way of the future. creating products using less machine power and more man power, using less unnatural materials and more sustainable reusable materials, making less products and getting more out of the ones we have. The wooden watch takes on these principles and looks amazing as well..
I think we have more than enough of all those through away everyday things in our lives. You can buy watches for less than a replacement battery would cost. It’s just so wrong.
It makes you feel less guilty if you wear fashion accessories that don’t destroy the world.
I’d love to try wearing a watch that didn’t leave a rash on my wrist like all the metal one’s do. I wood (pardon the pun) wear the watch all the time if I was lucky enough to win it 🙂 🙂
This is an exceptional example of how stereotypical fashion can be turn on it’s head… in a spectacular style! This beauty shows that no environmental matters or animals need to be harmed to look stylish!
We need more products so Mother Nature doesn’t turn from Green to Black!
I’m tired of hearing about people who are sick or have got Cancer, it’s time to stop using chemicals and synthetic products, it’s time to stop destroying the world.
Sustainable! Environmentally friendly and beautiful! A personal touch, I would love!
It’s important to stop our rampant consumerism and carefully select the few items we do buy to ensure we are buying with the environment in mind.
This Earth needs saving from over-consumption. That’s fundamental.
So to not go sustainable where possible is irresponsible. Just mental!
Sustainable products makes us think…and when we start to use them or wear them, the message is spread to family and friends.
So we can leave a happy healthy planet for our children and for them to experience the joys of the natural world! PS a very cool looking watch.
i would really love to win this watch for phil
Sustainable is the only way to keep us from destroying this beautiful world we live in.
I’ve never seen a Sustainable watch before….. These look fabulous!
Our poor old earth needs healing, and the physician’s oath is “First, do no harm.”
I love the idea of a sustainable time piece… if we as humans want more time here on earth as a species.. we need to be moving everything to sustainability.
The more sustainable everyday items there are, the more it will seem ‘normal’ and hopefully, one day, it will be the only option.
Its wasnt that long ago that using eco laundry detergent was considered hippy nonsense. Now its a normal choice. As more and more products that are sustainable enter the market it is not going to take long before it becomes a normal choice.
Bring on all the sustainable options that are beautiful, functional and elegant. Sustainable does not have to mean roughing it!
Hi,
I have had a negative experience with jord. After sending my faulty watch back (used for 2 weeks), i had no response as to whether they r going to refund me or repair and send it back. I have been waiting for 2 weeks for a reply already.