SEAQUAL canvas watch straps: eco-responsible watchmaking

Agnès and Xavier Broise, the siblings behind Avel & Men, grew up by the sea. They well know the ocean and its wonders. They have also seen, over the years, the pollution gaining ground on the beaches of their childhood, in Brittany.

The first responsible for this waste that accumulates and destroys biodiversity is plastic. And this is not just an impression, since by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

Sad reality for sea lovers. In fact, it concerns all of us as our own survival, on the water as well as far from the coasts, directly depends on the good health of our oceans. It is therefore a common fight, in which we can play a role, at our level. By joining the SEAQUAL initiative, which recycles waste in the oceans, Avel & Men is proud to offer solid and elegant SEAQUAL canvas watch straps, which contribute in their own way to raising awareness and reducing plastic pollution in the oceans.

SEAQUAL INITIATIVE: all united against plastic pollution in the oceans

The SEAQUAL INITIATIVE was born in 2016, just like Avel & Men. Its creation is based on a simple observation: the destruction of our oceans concerns us all. Therefore, it is only by joining forces that we can slow it down, find innovative solutions and, ideally, stop it. To do so, it gathers actors from all origins, with on board fishermen, NGOs, researchers, institutional representatives, companies and private consumers.

Together, they collect, recycle and revalue marine waste. The objective? To get them out of the water and give them a second life, in a circular economy approach.

Once extracted from the deep sea or collected on the surface of the water and on the beaches, the different wastes are sorted. The plastic is then recycled in the form of a fiber: the SEAQUAL® YARN. Its quality and resistance are very similar to the synthetic fibers used by the textile industry. Not only does SEAQUAL® YARN reduce plastic pollution, but its conception also allows saving raw material and energy resources compared to a classic polyester fiber.

To be consistent with this ecological approach, the marine plastic recycled (even upcycled) by SEAQUAL is certified OEKO-TEX standard 100, guaranteeing the absence of substances harmful to health.

It is from this fiber that Avel & Men has developed its SEAQUAL canvas watch straps, the Larmor Plage and the Port-Louis.

SEAQUAL canvas watch straps by Avel & Men

When you spend a good part of your free time on the water, like Xavier Broise, co-founder of Avel & Men, protecting the biodiversity of our oceans is not only a good idea, but an emergency. Avel & Men's membership to the SEAQUAL INITIATIVE was therefore an obvious choice, as was the decision to develop its new range of canvas watch straps from textile fiber made out of recycled marine waste.

All our SEAQUAL canvas watch straps are 100% French made.

Avel & Men watch straps Port-Louis (2 pictures left) and Larmor Plage (2 pictures right)

Watchstrap Port-Louis

The Port-Louis watch strap is a SEAQUAL canvas strap with a suede finish microfiber lining and a silver finish stainless steel buckle. It is available in matte black, with a padded finish as well as tone-on-tone stitching and loops for maximum elegance. It also features the discrete tricolor Avel & Men signature that made the Tampa watch strap so successful.

Depending on the watch you want to equip, the Port-Louis strap is available in different widths (18, 19, 20 and 22 millimeters). We would also be delighted to create it to the dimensions of your choice, upon request.

SEAQUAL watch strap Larmor Plage

The Larmor Plage canvas watch strap is available in black and denim blue. Like the Port-Louis, it is made in France from SEAQUAL canvas. For maximum comfort and elegance, it also comes with a microfiber lining with a suede finish and a stainless steel buckle with a silver finish.

More discrete than the Port-Louis, the Larmor Plage watch strap does not have a three-color strap point. With its tone-on-tone stitching and loops, it goes everywhere and is equally at home in a sporty chic or dressy style.

With which timepiece should I wear a SEAQUAL canvas watch strap?

The Avel & Men watch straps in SEAQUAL canvas are an obvious choice for a diving watch. Recalling both the sporty side of the brand and the timeless elegance of mythical timepieces, the Port-Louis and Larmor Plage straps are as suitable for a Lip Genève as for a Lip Dauphine or an always successful Rolex Submariner, for a more affordable Yema Superman as for an Omega Speedmaster.

The alternative is to buy a watch already equipped and delivered with an Avel & Men strap made of SEAQUAL canvas.

Port-Louis watch strap, here on a Rolex Submariner

Avel & Men X Auricoste collaboration: meet the SM300 Port-Louis

Since 1854, the French maison Auricoste has been equipping demanding customers with its tool watches, clocks and precision instruments. Among them are no less than the French Air Force and the French Navy. Its motto? Beauty and rigor, two values that resonate with those of Avel & Men.

When it came to equipping a timepiece with an Avel & Men bracelet in SEAQUAL canvas, collaboration with Auricoste seemed an obvious choice. So we combined our expertise to create the SM300 Port-Louis. A diving watch, of course.

The SM 300 Port-Louis by Auricoste and Avel & Men was designed by Fabrice Guéroux, expert in vintage watches. It borrows from classic models to find its own identity in a resolutely modern design. Water-resistant to 300 meters, it houses a Satellita SW200 (Swiss mechanism) and features a matte dial with the Auricoste logo and beige indexes. The bezel, made of 3 millimeter thick sapphire crystal, is domed for added resistance. The crown is nestled in a protective recess at 4 o'clock. The whole is naturally adorned with an Avel & Men strap in SEAQUAL canvas, Port-Louis model, with its tricolored bridle stitch that recalls the origin of the two houses.

Auricoste and Avel & Men present the SM 300 Port-Louis and its SEAQUAL canvas watchstrap