A passionate eco-warrior, Sam’s version of the Royal Oak had to have the sustainability factor, here’s how he brought that in…
‘How sustainable is your watch?’
That’s one question haunting most luxury watchmakers these days and Sam Amis, a passionate eco-warrior, wanted to address the same through his take on the Royal Oak. “My inspiration came directly from what matters most to myself, my family and the future of our planet – materials that are sustainable, environmentally conscious and beautiful all at once,” he says. “The use of plastic has proliferated too far in many instances, and when I came across what Smile Plastics is doing out of the UK, I knew I had to apply this amazing material to my concept. They use sustainable materials made from “waste” plastics collected from a variety of post-consumer and post-industrial sources. The Royal Oak is an icon all on its own, so applying an amazing material to that icon seemed only fitting.”
An industrial designer by trade, Amis graduated from The University of Cincinnati design program (DAAP) and has been working on a lot of different products but not purely watches. When not designing for work, he is constantly thinking about materials, brands or products that he can dream up and build. “I was always intrigued by watches but I didn’t know one could go somewhere and design just those,” he says. “My interest started way back with my first Flik Flak in elementary school that I obsessed over, on to my Swatch / Ironman phase in high school, then to my deep fascination with Nike’s short but amazing watch design era, and finally to where I’m now with my love of luxury, independent and micro watch brands. The latter stage started with a deep love of space travel, eventually leading to the purchase of my first luxury watch, the Omega Speedmaster when my first son was born."
A massive fan of heirloom analog products, Amis loves digging deep into brand histories and design stories, especially those that evolve well over time without ever disconnecting from their origins. “My favorite design icon is the Swiss Army Knife. Designed for pure function and perfected over 125 years, how can anyone beat something that’s so well executed at mass scale and is still so popular and widely respected?!” he says.
Although Amis has been to ‘all kinds of factories’, he has never been to a watch manufacture and he can’t wait to be in Le Brassus to discover Audemars Piguet’s watchmaking atelier. “ I don't know everything about AP but I do know a few things and I definitely want to dive more into their history and explore the town where it all started,” he says. “I hope this win allows me to work with and alongside some of the world's best brands that are as relevant today as they were decades ago.”
Watch the video to get to know Sam:
