Eco-friendly, solar powered, bio-degradable, wooden watches

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Through a joint tree-planting scheme American company WeWOOD has become the latest in a line of watch manufacturers to boost their environmental credentials.

WeWOOD manufacture watches from 100% natural and toxin free materials. On September 27 the eco-timepiece company announced a partnership with environmental organization American Forests. Through this partnership the company promise to plant one tree for every WeWOOD watch purchased; the watches available in a variety of woods retail for upwards of 88€.

Independent watch manufacturer Sprout also produces a range of environmentally friendly watches made from 99% bio-degradable corn resin, organic cotton and bamboo. The watches are also free of mercury-based batteries and are available on amazon.com for upwards of 18€.

Large watch manufacturers such as Citizen also produce eco-friendly time pieces. The Citizen Eco-Drive range is powered using a solar conversion panel and energy storage cell which the companies predict will last a "lifetime." The range of men's and women's Eco-Drive watches retail from 220€ to over 590€.

Eco-friendly watches have been in existence for a while but have previously been marketed as a novelties or sold at a price beyond the average consumer. In 2008 beach sportswear manufacturer Quicksilver released the limited edition Ray Eco-Friendly watch thought to be one of the most environmentally friendly watches ever made. The timepiece was constructed from recyclable materials and shipped by sea to minimize its carbon footprint. Only 1,000 pieces were made, each retailing for 370€.

For more information about WeWOOD watches see: http://we-wood.us/

For more information about Sprout watches see: http://www.sproutwatches.com

For more information about the Citizen Eco-Drive watches see: http://www.citizenwatch.com/