Despite writing about watches for almost nine years now, I still come across watch brands that I’ve never heard of. It’s one of the main reasons my job stays so exciting. Just when you think the industry has fallen a little stagnant with the same big names or models mentioned over and over, an entirely new watchmaker pops their head and demands some attention.
Sometimes this attention isn’t always deserved, and sometimes it is. When it comes to ID Geneve, I can confidently say it is the latter. My first impression of the Swiss watchmaker was the ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink watch that I’m reviewing today. I was kindly sent this model before having any pre-conceptions of the brand, and I think sometimes that’s the best way to make a genuine judgement.
First Impressions
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
I will talk about ID Geneve and what they stand for shortly, but I first want to place you in my position. Imagine being handed this watch knowing nothing other than it is Swiss Made. Straight away, I was pleasantly surprised with the, what I believe to be, a rather unique combination of design elements.
I love an integrated sports watch, and the ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink ticks many of the boxes of this genre with a beautifully curved cushion-shaped case, integrated lugs and strap and a statement textured dial. What’s noticeably different though is the case sides, which I’ll be honest are difficult to describe.
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
They give the case an almost octagonal profile, running from the edge of the strap to the middle of the case’s body giving it a thicker, more rounded cushion-shape. The components can be found brushed or fluted.
In contrast, the dial feels quite dressy. It elects three-dimensional guilloche with multiple polished facets that extend out to the angles on the case. Especially in this salmon pink hue, the finish looks especially sophisticated which almost tones back some of the masculineness of the sporty case. And yet although opposing in their personalities, the case and dial somehow work really well together.
ID Geneve’s Mission
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
As you can tell, my first impressions of ID Geneve started off well, but I was still curious to know what drives this brand and inspires them to make a watch like this. So as any good watch reviewer does, I headed to the big world wide web and did some digging. The first thing I saw on their website was a statement reading “We are the first impact native luxury watch brand.”
Now hopefully I’m not alone here, but I have no idea what this means. And even after reading further down the page, I still don’t. That said, I’ve definitely got a better understanding of who ID Geneve is. Their philosophy involves creating products that positively benefit climate change and the environment.
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
It seems all ID Geneve watches are engineered with full transparency on partners and costs and almost every component is made from recycled or reused materials. The straps are made from 100% green waste from London parks, the cases are made from recycled steel and even their movements are refurbished from unsold stocks.
It's really an impressive feat, and they’re putting many other luxury watch brands to shame by setting these high expectations for sustainability. And it seems Leonardo DiCaprio agrees since it was recently announced there was a CHF 2 million seed round with DiCaprio's participation for the environmentally conscious brand. It proves that even the smallest of watchmakers can push the industry in a better direction if they do it right.
The ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink Watch
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
Now let’s focus on the ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink watch. With all this newly learned information in mind, how exactly does this new release fare? And is it worth the CHF 4,380 price tag?
We’ve already mentioned the unique shape of the case and its brushed sides, but the metal itself definitely deserves a little more attention. The 41mm wide and 9.65mm tall architecture is engineered from a material ID Geneve calls “SOLAR” stainless steel. It is recycled steel that has been melted using a clever mirror-equipped device that makes use of the heat of the sun. They claim it has a carbon footprint 165 times smaller than industry standard steel. It’s also this solar-melted steel that gives the ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink watch the “S” in its name.
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
The case is satin-finished on the edges while the bezel is sun-brushed and sloped. On the front and back, the watch uses sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating which again has been 70% recycled. The exterior is completed by two different types of straps: a vegetal textile made with 80% upcycled residue of grapes or the Treekind® strap which is 100% biobased, made predominantly from green waste.
Similar to my comments about the case, the dial of the ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink watch is really tricky to describe. It uses sunray guilloche finishing to create an almost jaggedly, sunbeam-like pattern raised slightly off the surface. Thank God for our in-house photographer Alice. She has captured some fantastic close up shots of the salmon-coloured dial to aid my terrible description.
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
As you can see, the surface appears rather intricate up close with the pattern cleverly extending out to the baton indexes and black printed minutes track. The dial is also home to three recycled hands for the hours, minutes and seconds – the former two coated in Superluminova for a nice touch of legibility in the dark – and the ID Geneve logo is employed as the 12 o’clock marker.
Continuing with the theme of sustainability, the movement housed inside the ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink watch is a refurbished ETA 2824 calibre sourced from unsold stocks. It is automatic winding, offers a 38-hour power reserve and time-and-date complication. The finishing of the movement, viewable through the case back, is fairly basic and includes a brushed oscillating rotor stamped with the ID Geneve logo.
Conclusion
ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink - Credit WatchGecko
For a company that is still incredibly fresh, ID Geneve has done incredibly well to create a strong mission statement and an impressive set of timepieces to go with it. The ID Geneve CIRCULAR S Pink watch is a fantastic watch in many ways; it has a unique combination of design traits that gives ID Geneve its own identity - something that is not easy to do in a saturated industry – and it’s almost entirely recycled construction deserves to be applauded.
Does it feel a little expensive for an ETA 2824 powered watch? Maybe. But I think once you take into account the sustainability efforts and the overall message this kind of watch carries, it makes the CHF 4,380 price tag feel a little less overwhelming.
But what do you guys think? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: ID Geneve
- Model: CIRCULAR S Pink
- Price: CHF 4,380
- Material: “SOLAR” recycled stainless steel
- Movement: Refurbished Swiss made ETA 2824 taken from unsold stock
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Dial: Salmon 3D sunray guilloche
- Size: 41mm wide, 9.65mm tall
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: This is a fun watch and definitely a conversation piece. I’d want to wear it around other watch enthusiasts to get their opinions on it.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: An advocate for sustainability.
- Best characteristics of the watch: The dial finishing is beautiful.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: They’re not terrible, but the baton indexes feel a little lacking compared to the rest of the dial’s detailing.
