Be ready for summer sun with the Awake Concept La Bleue

Depending on what you’re doing for your summertime activities, you might have different idea on what it is you’d want in a watch. And sure, you can tailor your watch to the specific activities (diving, hiking, trail running, etc), but what if you just want a basic, no-nonsense “knock around” sort of a piece? Oh, and you want to be conscious of your eco-impact? Then the Awake La Bleue might be of interest to you.

At it’s surface, the Awake Concept La Bleue is a pretty simple watch. You’ve got yourself a nylon strap paired to a steel case, which houses a colorful dial and a two-hander approach to time telling. Throw in a 100m WR rating, and yeah, you’ve got something that sounds summer ready (colorful and waterproof). But what’s the eco angle?

First off, you’ve got a solar-powered movement. For now, we’ll give a pass on what manufacturing those actually takes, and focus on your immediate impact – no battery changes. Sure, eventually that rechargeable cell is going to give out, but my solar G-Shock is still trucking, and that’s after 12+ years. Secondly, what about that strap? It’s your basic nylon, but the plastic it’s made from comes from bottles collected from the ocean, so not too shabby, eh?

For me, there’s something about the simplicity of a watch that just works away while you’re out in the sun, whether or not you’re in the water. And if the lume is half-decent, well, all the better for telling time while you’re camping or even just watching a movie out of doors. There are a variety of colors available, and even two case sizes. You’ll be paying $175 for watch on either strap (and there’s a slightly different style with a higher WR for $229-$249). Check everything out direct from the brand: awakeconcept.com