Elite Traveler Summer 2022

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ZENITH & NONA SOURCE Swiss watch brand Zenith is the first in the LVMH watch group (which also includes Tag Heuer, Hublot and others) to team with Nona Source for recycled watch straps made from couture fabrics. Nona Source is a new LVMH company that takes the excess fabrics from the fashion houses owned by LVMH and transforms them into straps. This Defy Midnight watch retails for $11,000, and the new Nona Source strap is sold separately, starting at $300. Among the strap choices: woven cotton, silk, wool, crepe, canvas, mohair and more. According to Julien Tornare, CEO of Zenith, “Working with Nona Source is exactly the kind of responsible, ecological yet also luxurious kind of innovation that we seek at the Zenith Manufacture. This initiative not only helps in upcycling luxurious materials in a new context, but also gives the Defy Midnight collection

BREITLING & SUGI FOREST Swiss watch brand Breitling continues its partnership with Sugi Forest to support reforestation and a sustainable ecosystem. By working with local communities in a variety of countries, the organization also helps empower indigenous people. Sugi has created more than 80 forests in over a dozen countries around the world and is part of the Trillion Tree Initiative. To date, since its involvement in 2020 with Sugi, Breitling has planted more than 17,000 trees and plants. It has also made the commitment to eco-friendly, reusable watch boxes made from upcycled plastic bottles. Not only is the packaging environmentally friendly, but because it is sleek and can be folded flat, Breitling is able to reduce CO2 emissions with less bulky shipping. According to Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, “When [explorer and Sugi founding partner] David de Rothschild told me about SUGi’s approach to ‘rewilding’ parts of the planet — not only remote places but also urban centers — and doing so scientifically, systematically and sustainably, we knew that it would be a good fit for Breitling.” breitling.com

a high-fashion edge.” zenith-watches.com

HUBLOT & SORAI It was two years ago that Hublot teamed with SORAI (Save Our Rhino Africa India) to make an impact in the fight for rhinoceros conservation and biodiversity protection. Now, Hublot continues its efforts by creating the Big Bang Unico SORAI watch, with a majority of the proceeds from the sale of each one benefiting the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary supported by SORAI. The biggest threat to rhinos is poaching and, over the past decade, two-thirds of the rhinos in South Africa’s Kruger Park have been killed by poachers. Just about 500 remain. Just 100 of the Big Bang Unico SORAI watches will be made, each retailing for $24,100. Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO, says: “According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), international, national and local partners must work together to resolve the biodiversity crisis. It is our duty to amplify the voices of those who work on the ground to protect endangered species, particularly the African rhino, which is in critical danger of extinction. Hublot is truly delighted and proud to support Kevin Pietersen and SORAI in this movement, which is so crucial for the future.” hublot.com

Photo Sébastien Agnetti