What's the Time Mr Wolf? It's time for stylish vegan friendly watches!
I've been wearing stainless steel banded watches ever since I was a little girl, in a choice not to wear a leather band on my wrist. But these days, choosing a cruelty free watch is so much easier, because there are some seriously gorgeous watches on the market.
We've rounded up some of our favourites - from fully vegan brands and also from boutique brands which are offering vegan options. It's time to embrace kind, compassionate watches....
1: Olivia Burton London : unabashedly feminine
For a watch that is a conversation-starter, and something a little different, the vegan friendly range from London based Olivia Burton has all the fresh charm of an English spring morning filled with hedgerows of wild flowers.
The watch faces feature flowers, butterflies and bees - and we particularly love the 3D daisy face. Each of the watches in the vegan-friendly range have synthetic leather straps.
(Other ranges in this brand do have leather straps though, but we happen to think the chicest ones are in the vegan friendly range, which is lucky as well as nice!)
2 year warranty.
One for the conscious consumer who not only wants a vegan watch, but one made from recycled materials, the new Eco-Suude range from Australian brand Time IV Change ticks all the eco boxes. With a case made from 100% recycled aluminium, and a strap made from Italian eco-suede, this watch is yet another fine offering from a young company that launched on Kickstarter last year. Unprecedented demand for the simply-designed vegan watches has allowed the brand to expand into more and more eco friendly materials.
As well as the eco-suede (made from fibres from recycled PET plastic bottles, t-shirts and fabrics), Time IV change also make a Pinatex (pineapple leather) strap version.
Time IV Change donate 20% of their profits to the animal charity of the buyer's selection. Watches are made in Hong Kong in a SA8000 ethically certified factory (meaning workers are must be paid & treated fairly & work in a safe and healthy environment), and the brand is PETA approved. They are a fully vegan brand.
3: Hurtig Lane: Spanish vegan watches
“At Hurtig Lane we love animals and therefore we don’t wear them. We believe all life is equal and we don’t have the right to use another living being for fashion. ”
In a striking peach or earthy khaki green nylon watch band with a stainless steel case face in a larger mens or smaller womens sizing, these elegant watches are made by the Spanish vegan watch brand Hurtig Lane. We love, love, love the colourways and the simplicity of the classic design - making this an elegant watch for work or leisure.
Hurtig Lane also offer watches with bands made from vegan leather, stainless steel mesh and nylon tweed, and all the cases are fully encased in stainless steel (meaning even the backs are stainless steel, which protects the watch from the breakdown of colour and surface which can occur with cheaper alloy metals.)
With free worldwide shipping, and Japanese Miyota movement in all watches, this is a fully vegan brand - so all watches are free from animal derived materials. 2 year guarantee.
4: Votch: the vegan watch brand from the UK.
Perhaps the most recognisable vegan watch brand, Votch have instagrammed their way into the hearts of vegans world wide with their animal-friendly simple watches. Offering a new range with smaller faces (which we personally much prefer), Votch make their watch bands from both eco-friendly Pinatex pineapple fibre leather, and PVC-free vegan leather. The "New Collection" (with the smaller faces) use straps made from a mixture of TPE (ThermoPlastic Elastomers or Plastic Rubber), polyester and cotton. The "Classic Collection" straps are made from cotton woven microfibre mixed with Polyurethane.
Votch sell the watch bands separately, as well as complete watches, so customers can mix and match to create a different look and style.
All materials are vegan, and the brand is PETA approved. 10% of profits are donated to a rotating charity of the season. Watches are made in China, and Votch say they are a "great factory that pays fairly, offers promotion opportunities and has great facilities".
5: Eone: roller ball watches with a stainless steel band
Now this is something quite different from the traditional hands going round on a watch face. Designed around a roller ball system, whereby the time can be "read" by being felt as well seen by the position of the roller ball on the segmented watch face, Eone watches are for both visually impaired and sighted people.
Starting as a crowd-funding project, the brand has grown to now offer a range of colours and materials, and sells watches in a mens and a womens range. Both the stainless steel and stainless steel mesh straps are vegan, but be aware the brand does also sell leather bands (and canvas bands lined with leather). We'd of course be happier to see these ranges swapped out for more animal and planet-friendly materials, but we applaud the brand's founders for providing the vegan friendly metal options in a very sight-friendly design.
6: WEWOOD: time pieces made from wood.
WeWOOD make their signature "earthy" time pieces with a wooden watch face, and a variety of materials for their watch straps. (Not all straps are vegan, as they do offer leather, but all the wooden link bands are vegan.)
Some models are made in Italy, and for every watch sold, WeWOOD plants a tree in collaboration with Trees for the Future and American Forests.