Small coastal towns dot the lengths of Earth’s water shores, smelling of seawater as the water laps the stilts of boat docks and beaches. These towns are very much alive with the spirit of the seas. Upon closer inspection, you can no doubt see boats docked, no longer seaworthy but no less spirited in their character and history. Reclamation experts at The Sacred Crafts saw the soul and felt called to offer these boats a second life in their La Grande Mer Collection.
Meaning ‘The Great Sea,’ the dress watch collection comprises repurposed parts of the abandoned vintage boats, worthy of the sea and those who cherish the open waters. The La Grande Mer line forges iconic Swiss watchmaking with reclaimed bronze veneer and fishing nets to create four unique timepieces.
The Great Sea Workings
Each piece is unique in its appearance, but each shares Swiss Automatic powered movement with a 40-hour reserve and 25 jewels. The bezels on each are unidirectional timers, and all have a 300-m dive rating. A calendar aperture sits at the traditional 3 o’clock, and yet each piece is distinctive in appearance; The Sacred Crafts creatively used reclaimed material in different ways.
La Grande Mer
La Grande Mer, the showcase of the collection, is a beautiful bronze and sea green 44-mm homage to shallow waters grazing sandbars. The case, bezel, links, and crown are reclaimed bronze from vintage boat propellors with 316L stainless steel parts. The central links, crown guard, and inner dial are vivid sea-green made from terrazzo, a synthetic sea glass created from forgotten fishing nets.
Hua Hin
Get lost in the face of the Hua Hin: a deep ocean blue 0.5-mm reclaimed veneer dial. Surrounding the dial is the same bronze repurposed from propellors in the case, bezel, and links. Matching the beautiful dial, the bronze band’s central link is the same blue veneer reclaimed from ironwood beans.
Dark Seas
The Dark Seas is the black sheep of the La Grande Mer collection with its black bezel, case, and links. The sea-green terrazzo dial, crown, and center link give away its familial ties with the rest of the collection. The Dark Seas is lighter than its siblings with custom carbon fiber links and bezel that are IP-rated. It is perfect for those looking to keep a low profile in the water.
Kudmai
Kudmai, meaning ‘reborn’ in Thai, refers to the collection being reborn from forgotten materials. These watches are made with Swiss engineering and feature a two-toned bronze and 316L stainless steel timepiece. The bezel and central links are of the same reclaimed bronze as its sister pieces, and the black dial finishes out the contrast nicely.
Drop Your Line for La Grande Mer
Each timepiece order includes a 5-year warranty and 36 months of servicing from The Sacred Crafts, along with a travel case, a coffee table book telling the story of the thoughtful watches, and extra bands.
The prices are on par with other high-quality watches: $1,299 for the Kudmai model, $1,599 for the Hua Hin and Dark Seas, and $1.999 for the La Grande Mer masterpiece.
If you’re a fish living in a landlocked place, longing for a piece of the deep blue, the La Grande Mer dress watch collection offers solace until you’re able to sink your toes into the sand and float across the water’s surface again.
