I always have been a sucker for a beautiful watch. When I was much younger, I loved to wear those fancy Rolex knock-offs bought right off the street sellers in New York City or Rome. Then as my budget grew, I began to wear simple but elegant watches with beautiful bands I could switch out with my outfit, the season, or my mood. I still love that esthetic, as far as my watch taste goes, not much has changed.
So, it’s no surprise that recently a Danish watch brand, Nordgreen caught my attention with its sleek design and refined look created by Jakob Wagner. Wagner is a seasoned designer and it shows. But what truly drew me in was the Giving Back Program that the company has created allowing every purchase to be accompanied with the opportunity for the wearer to donate a portion of their sale to a worthy cause. My choices included projects directed to clean water, education, and anti-deforestation initiatives.
While love and work are central to the good life, I believe giving back to the world is equally as important a piece to the good life scenario. We know this intuitively, when we participate in making the world a better place in one way or another, we ultimately feel better about ourselves.
It is so refreshing to find this generosity of spirit within the framework of a for-profit company, providing a way to contribute to the world in a meaningful way while heightening your own personal fashion. Instead of operating from a place of limited resources and profit as the ultimate win, Nordgreen shows us an enlightened business model.
Their Kickstarter campaign allows everyone to participate in not only giving back but also selecting their newest watch designs. The affordability of these two new timepieces throws the net to a much wider buyer pool.
I love the new collection. It is a celebration of Scandinavian-Danish design: timeless, minimal and balanced. It makes me feel good to wear a classy watch while helping make the world a little better too.
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