PARIS – There’s not a moment to waste when it comes to climate action and ensuring a better future globally.

That’s a message that B Corp-certified Swiss watchmaker ID Genève wants to drive home during Climate Week in New York City with a limited-edition timepiece it is unveiling Thursday in collaboration with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.   

The occasion, which is the 10-year anniversary of the SDGs, marks the first time a watch brand has aligned itself with the U.N. in support of these goals.

“The Sustainable Development Goals are not just ambitions on paper — they are a practical plan to safeguard people and the planet,” said Maher Nasser, assistant secretary-general, department of global communications at the U.N.

“By embedding the SDGs into the very design of its timepiece, ID Genève shows how innovation and creativity can drive awareness and inspire action,” he continued. “This collaboration illustrates the power of partnership and proves that even in the world of luxury, every second can count toward building a more sustainable and equitable future.”

Dubbed the Circular C SDG, the 41-mm limited edition has indices reprising the SDGs’ color wheel, which is also emblazoned on the sapphire glass back. But that is only a visual cue for the watchmaker’s message.

“We’re four years [old] but from the start, we do things differently and I’ve always admired how the private sector can actually lead the transition,” Nicolas Freudiger, the watchmaker’s cofounder and chief executive officer, told WWD exclusively.

“This timepiece is of course raising awareness on the blueprints — the SDGs — that can save the planet,” he continued. “It’s also about shedding lights on those climate heroes, those climate solutions.”

Case in point: the materials used for this model. In addition to 100-percent reprocessed stainless steel, the watch is made of regenerative carbon.

Developed by Swiss materials innovation specialist CompPair Technologies Ltd., it is a circular material that can self-heal without requiring industrial equipment — heating it at 100 degrees Celsius for a minute does the trick.

There’s another way Freudiger hopes to amplify the impact of the SDG limited edition: the 17 pieces — one for each goal — are also only available by application. Successful applicants will be those who “showcase their commitment” to a specific goal.

“We don’t like policing people but we want to open the conversation with our community,” said Freudiger. “We’re about ‘wearing your conviction on your wrist’ so we want to have a discussion, make sure we’re aligned, understand what you’re doing and also be open to creating a community around the 17 pieces.”

That said, the watch executive reminded that the objective of a sustainable and equitable future doesn’t rely on “the perfect person” or even the 17 changemakers he hopes will own the limited-edition SDG watch. “What we’re looking at is millions of people getting better,” he said.

Showcased at Watches of Switzerland’s SoHo boutique in New York, the Circular C SDG watch retails for $10,500, excluding taxes.

Launched in late 2020 through crowdfunding and with an average price of 4,500 Swiss francs, ID Genève has been working toward zero impact in its product and operations, using solar steel and regenerative carbon, straps made from wine residue or tree waste from London parks and seaweed packaging that can dissolve in water within hours.

It was awarded B Corp status in October 2023 and raised a $2 million seed round that included Leonardo DiCaprio among its investors.