While there are a number of watches that use recycled materials in their construction, Detrash is a brand that is entirely dedicated to creating watches that showcase what can be created from reclaimed waste products. The primary purpose of Detrash is to start a dialog among enthusiasts about what can be produced using recycled materials, and even the brand’s name is intended to serve as an ever-present reminder that its watches are made using… well, trash. Virtually all of Detrash’s models are limited editions that explore a specific colorway or thematic inspiration, and launched earlier this year among the brand’s releases for 2024 is the Detrash Midnight Sky, which is a well-crafted dive watch with an Arabic numeral dial that features a punchy black and blue colorway.

Along with embracing a minimalist approach to packaging that consists of 100% recycled materials for its cardboard boxes and included velvet travel pouches, Detrash also uses 80% recycled stainless steel for the cases of its watches, and its straps are also produced using reclaimed waste products, with the strap fitted to the Midnight Sky made from #Tide recycled ocean plastic. Additionally, rather than aiming to be some prestigious boutique brand, Detrash maintains a lighthearted and approachable image, and along with operating within a categorically accessible price point, Detrash also embraces a sense of humor in the way that it presents its products. A perfect example of this is its official description for the Midnight Sky, which reads,Omega may have the first watch on the Moon. Rolex or Blancpain may have the first dive watch. This is the first watch named after a Stevie Nicks-inspired Miley Cyrus track.”

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While the case of the Detrash Midnight Sky consists of 80% recycled material, the alloy itself is essentially the same as surgical-grade 316L stainless steel, and it features predominately brushed surfaces with thin high-polished bevels running down the edges of its lugs. Adhering to a traditional round diver-style profile, the case measures 41mm in diameter by 12.9mm thick, with a lug width of 20mm, an overall lug-to-lug distance of 47mm, and a total weight of approximately 97 grams (including its strap). A flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal protects the dial of the Detrash Midnight Sky, while the crown and solid caseback screw down to help ensure 200 meters of water resistance, and both the crown and caseback are engraved with Detrash’s surfing planet mascot, which further underscores the brand’s lighthearted spirit.

Surrounding the crystal on the Detrash Midnight Sky is a unidirectional rotating timing bezel, which moves with a precise 120-click action that offers virtually zero perceptible back-play beyond the natural tension of the ratchet spring. The stainless steel bezel ring features a hobnail texture along its outer rim for added grip, and it is fitted with a matte black ceramic insert that has its engraved 60-minute scale finished in a bright shade of cyan blue with a luminous dot embedded inside an inverted triangle to denote the zero marker. The omission of crown guards provides the Detrash Midnight Sky with a slightly more relaxed appearance compared to something like a purpose-built sports watch, and its versatile proportions create an easy-to-wear overall package that can accommodate a wide range of different wrist sizes.

The dial and hands fitted to the Detrash Midnight Sky follow the same colorway established by its bezel insert, and they feature matte black surfaces punctuated by bright cyan-blue accents. The dial offers a fairly traditional layout with an entirely printed design consisting of large Arabic numeral hour markers, a simple minute track surrounding the periphery, and a blue-framed date window at 3 o’clock. Meanwhile, the Midnight Sky’s partially skeletonized sword-shaped hands feature matte black frames with blue luminous tips and a matching bright blue seconds hand for added contrast. While I would normally be slightly bothered by the use of a standard white calendar disc, the Detrash Midnight Sky also features white on its dial for the brand’s name and the “automatic” text above its depth rating, and this ultimately helps to balance out what would normally be a rather blatantly incohesive design element.

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With regard to its use of lume, the Detrash Midnight Sky features Swiss Super-LumiNova on all of its luminous components, which is typically considered the highest quality lume available within the greater watch industry. Blue-colored lume appears on the tips of its hour and minute hands, while a more traditional white-colored lume is used for the zero-marker on its bezel insert, and small dots of black-colored lume are placed along the outer perimeter of the hour markers that largely blend into the matte-black surface of the dial. Although all of the luminous elements emit a green-colored glow in the dark, they offer significantly different levels of brightness, and while the hands and zero marker on the bezel both glow quite brightly, the black-colored lume offers a much less intense glow that only lasts for a short while compared to the other luminous components on the watch.

Powering the Detrash Midnight Sky is the ever-prolific Seiko NH35 automatic movement, which is trusted by countless different watch brands and easily ranks among the industry’s most popular time-and-date mechanical calibers. Running at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 41 hours, the 24-jewel NH35 offers the usual conveniences of hacking seconds and either automatic or manual winding, and it represents the entry-level offering among the various mechanical movements in Seiko’s modern lineup. While the Seiko NH35 is the definition of inauspicious and ubiquitous, its prevalence within the industry is due to its practicality, and it promises a reliable and low-cost ownership experience, with a virtually endless list of options when it comes to maintenance and repair.

As mentioned, the strap for the Detrash Midnight Sky is made from #Tide, which is a recycled material made of 100% ocean-bound plastic, and it offers a standard two-piece design that maintains a constant 20mm width from its lugs all the way to its buckle. The strap itself is constructed from black #Tide fabric, and it features bright cyan-blue contrast stitching near its lugs and keeper to match the Midnight Sky’s signature colorway. While the overall design of the strap is fairly standard and unremarkable, it is quite soft and comfortable on the wrist, and it is completed by an extremely chunky tang-style buckle that is signed with Detrash’s logo. While I can certainly appreciate a robust buckle, the one that comes with the Midnight Sky is almost too large relative to the fairly reasonable size of its case; however, I would ultimately rather have a buckle that borders on being too burly than one that feels cheap and flimsy.

Along with using materials made from reclaimed waste whenever possible, Detrash participates in 1% for the Planet, which is an international organization whose members contribute at least one percent of their annual revenue to environmental causes. Realistically speaking, Detrash’s relatively limited output is hardly going to tip the scales, although more important than the quantity of recycled material it uses or the monetary value of its charitable donations are the conversations that Detrash aims to create within the industry about the importance of sustainability and the products that can be made using waste products. The whole point of Detrash is to have fun while promoting a good cause that affects everyone, and this is reflected in Detrash’s slogan, which is a playful jab at Patek Philippe that states, “You never actually own the planet. You merely look after it for the next generation.”

Despite being produced as a limited edition of 100 pieces, the Detrash Midnight Sky might feel slightly generic to the deep enthusiast; however, its non-objectionable design is intended to resonate with a wider audience of individuals who appreciate it for its environmentally conscious concept, rather than just die-hard collectors who probably already own several other dive watches. Similarly, the brand also prices its watches within the realm of reason for the casual buyer, and the Detrash Midnight Sky costs £380 GBP (or approximately $500 USD, at the time of writing), which will hardly alienate the average person who may only be accustomed to mass-market consumer products like fitness trackers and the Apple Watch. With that in mind, Detrash also delivers when it comes to providing a well-crafted overall package, and the Midnight Sky is a solid and capable diver that can easily serve as a person’s daily wristwatch. For more information on the Detrash Midnight Sky, please visit the brand’s website


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