Be Prepared: A Gift Guide for the Eco-Conscious Watch Enthusiast

Inspired by the versatility of the Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Dive, here’s a roundup of six stylish and sustainable gift ideas for the holidays.

By Rhonda Riche

Editor-At-Large

Planning is important. That’s why we can’t get enough of Citizen’s ISO-compliant Promaster Dive with Eco-Drive technology. It’s an excellent example of a dive watch that is fun and functional. It is powered by light, so you’ll never need to open your caseback or compromise its water tightness when unlocking a screw-down crown. And as the name suggests, it’s also eco-friendly because it’s battery-free, thus sparing the landfills from spent power sources.

It’s also stylistically sustainable. It’s built to last, plus it’s incredibly versatile. On land, it can be worn with any casual outfit because the classic blue and red bezel, blue dial, and stainless steel case never go out of fashion. Moreover, the absolute usefulness of this tool watch has inspired this guide of similarly stylish and sustainable gifts for the eco-conscious watch enthusiast on your list.

Deep Dive

As mentioned above, the Promaster Eco-Drive Dive watch (ref. BN0168-06L) from Citizen is a great everyday watch. The blue dial, luminous hands and markers, and red, white, and blue accents of this three-hander with a date window at 4 o’clock, make it incredibly easy to read.

The durable and water-resistant blue polyurethane strap makes it very comfortable to wear, whether you’re at work or at play. And Citizen’s sustainable Eco-Drive, light-powered technology keeps the watch ticking for up to six months even if it’s been stashed in a drawer. It’s the perfect grab-and-go timepiece.

Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Dive © Citizen

Available Now from Citizen for $375

Portable Potables

I was gifted a 25 oz. PureVis Water Bottle three Christmases ago, and I still use it on a daily basis.

Made by LARQ, this self-cleaning, insulated vessel is the first in the world to leverage the power of UV-C LED light and eliminates up to 99 percent of bio-contaminants for clean, purified water. Plus, it is easy to recharge via MicroUSB – you can even charge it using your laptop.

LARQ 25 oz. PureVis Water Bottle © LARQ

Available Now from LARQ for $118

Sunny Days

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Zeal Optics makes fashionable sunglasses and goggles to suit your outdoor style, whether relaxing on the beach or maxing on the mountains. But more than just looking cool, Zeal Optics’ See Grass frames combine 70% recycled plastics and 30% grass fibers in a closed-loop system to make sunnies that are also sustainable.

There are four See Grass frame styles: Calistoga, Northwind, Divide, and Aspen. But no matter which frame you choose, Zeal Optics will donate a portion of every goggle, sunglass, and accessory lens sold towards planting trees worldwide.

Zeal Optics See Grass Calistoga © Zeal Optics

Zeal Optics See Grass Northwind © Zeal Optics

Zeal Optics See Grass Divide © Zeal Optics

Zeal Optics See Grass Aspen © Zeal Optics

Available Now from Zeal Optics for $179

Step Class

A favorite among New York fashionistas, Sabah has stores in the U.S. and London and makes unisex slip-ons that work with any ensemble – from chinos to tuxedos.

Adapted from traditional Turkish loafers and made in both Gaziantep (a Turkish town near the Syrian border) and El Paso, Texas, Sabah uses leather that is eco-certified by the Leather Working Group. They are also built to last due to the use of high-grade leather that allows the footwear to age gracefully while molding to the wearer's foot.

Images © Sabah

Available Now via Sabah’s Website

High & Dry

Never get caught out in the rain with this graphic Adventure Responsibly Dry Bag from the Parks Project. Made from 500D PVC tarpaulin, it is ideal for urban hikes when it’s humid or for transporting dry clothes and snacks while canoeing or kayaking.

Parks Project is a purpose-driven brand advocating for people and parks, so it also comes with a message (“Adventure Responsibly – Pack It In, Pack It Out”) and a mission (raising money for National Parks).

Parks Project Adventure Responsibly Dry Bag © Parks Project

Available Now from the Parks Project for $48

Light the Way

Citizen is not the only brand making products powered by light. After the 2010 magnitutde-7.0 earthquake in Haiti, the LuminAID light’s inventors and company co-founders, Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta, came up with the idea of an inflatable, solar-powered lantern that could be flat-packed and shipped to communities around the world after disasters. And, because the pair are trained architects, they had to look good too. Now, these lights and chargers are popping up on patios in California, glamping sites in Banff, and of course, emergency kits all around the world.

We like the Power Outage Bundle, which comes with two PackLite Titan 2-in-1 Power Lanterns (each providing 100 hours of light or capable of charging two-to-three phones) and two PackLite Nova Solar Lanterns (the perfect size to help you navigate in the dark).