ID Genève debuts a limited chocolate-inspired Circular in collaboration with Paleta Loca and Climate Basecamp, an unveiling staged at Villa Sarasin that feels less like a press call and more like a memory returning. Ice-cream truck, DJ, and complimentary chocolate in hand, guests were invited to taste first, then think.
The watch itself does the same. A hammered dial suggests chocolate softening under heat, light sliding across its surface with a quiet liquidity. It is an evocative choice that reads as texture before it reads as theme.
Beneath the tone sits a refurbished ETA 2824 automatic from unsold stock, running at 4 Hz with 38 hours of power reserve. Hours, minutes, central seconds, and a date at 3 keep the brief honest. No fireworks, just a proven caliber given a second life.
The 41 mm case is machined from 100% recycled 316L steel, polished bezel and flanks, and a notably slim 9.65 mm profile. Sapphire with antireflective coating and 50 m water resistance round out the practicalities. This is circular thinking expressed in steel, not in slogans.
Details carry the flavor. Diamond-polished indexes with colored SLN sit over a hand-hammered chocolate field. The rehaut fades through purple, yellow, and orange, a quiet nod to cacao’s journey. ID-shaped hands, inspired by an eagle’s tail, are diamond-polished for hours and minutes, with a sandblasted seconds hand capped by a red tip.
Strap choice follows the brief: VIRIDIS, a corn-starch based material in dark brown with colored stitching, on a recycled 316L pin buckle. A folding clasp is available for +CHF 260. The reference for this model is CIRCULAR A – CHOKO TOO LATE 101.004.14H, and it is priced at 5,620.00 incl. VAT.
The scientific layer comes via Climate Basecamp, connecting cocoa, materials, and climate systems beneath the narrative. Ten percent of proceeds support its initiatives, with environmental advocate Rainn Wilson lending presence. The brand keeps the activism understated and lets the watch do most of the talking.
In a neat twist, access mirrors the concept. Throughout the year, Paleta Loca ice creams will carry a discreet QR code. Scan, enter, and you might win 1 of 10 limited-edition chocolate pieces. Taste, scan, participate – a simple mechanism with a pleasing aftertaste.
Editorially, the appeal is in the construction. Refurbished movement, recycled case, restrained thickness, and a dial that earns its metaphor. It is not a grand complication, and it does not try to be. It is a small, well-considered argument for longevity, dressed in chocolate and tempered by Swiss steel.
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