What Circular Clockworks does

Circular Clockworks was a privately held Dutch direct-to-consumer brand founded in 2018 that designed and sold limited-edition upcycled watches. Its core technology was a manual upcycling process in which founders hand-sourced, sorted, and transformed discarded materials — primarily recycled tool boxes and old construction helmets — into watch cases and components. Each release was produced in constrained runs of roughly 50 pieces, yielding unique one-off items; the named catalog included The Fox, Dazzling Zebra, Funky Fox, Royal Phoenix (35mm orange edition), and The Perky Peacock (construction-helmet source). The business model was pure e-commerce: watches were sold exclusively through the company's own webshop to eco-conscious consumers, with no retail, wholesale, or B2B channels. Marketing was content-led, using SEO-optimized blog articles and tagged topical content (sustainable watches, circular economy, Dutch watch design) to attract search-driven traffic.

The company operated as a sub-scale founder-led boutique with no disclosed employees, no external funding, no patents or certifications, no partnerships, and no management team disclosed publicly. Pricing was not publicly listed, and the company has now ceased operations after 7 years. In 2025, the founders announced the wind-down in Dutch on the homepage ("Circular Clockworks is gestopt") and offered a Survival Kit to enable existing customers to perform self- or jeweler-assisted repairs and band replacement. The shutdown, combined with the very limited production volumes and narrow domestic (Netherlands) distribution, signals the niche was not large enough to sustain the unit economics of hand-sorted upcycled watchmaking at boutique scale.

Name

Circular Clockworks

Legal name

Circular Clockworks

Website

https://circularclockworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Circular Clockworks was a Dutch direct-to-consumer brand (2018–2025) that handcrafted limited-edition upcycled watches from recycled tool boxes and construction helmets, selling roughly 50-piece runs via its own webshop to eco-conscious consumers in the Netherlands before ceasing operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Watches

SIC

Watches, Clocks, Clockwork Operated Devices/Parts (3873)

akta.pro primary industry

Watch Manufacturing (Movements, Cases, Dials, Assembly) (CRAKADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Apparel Alterations, Repair & Circular Manufacturing (Remake/Upcycle) (CRAAAAAO)

Keywords

• Upcycled watches
• Sustainable timepieces
• Recycled accessories
• Eco-friendly watches
• Circular economy products

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Upcycled Watch Sales: Direct sales of upcycled watches made from recycled materials through their e-commerce platform. Products were sold in limited editions with individual character due to the nature of recycled source materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Circular Clockworks was a Dutch brand that designed and sold upcycled watches made entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials such as discarded tool boxes and old construction helmets. The company produced handcrafted, limited-edition timepieces (typically 50 pieces per series) that were hand-sorted and assembled by the founders, creating unique one-of-a-kind pieces. The company operated from 2018 to 2025 before ceasing operations.

Product overview

Circular Clockworks was a single-product brand focused exclusively on upcycled watches made from recycled materials. The product portfolio centered on handcrafted limited-edition timepieces — The Fox (recycled tool boxes), Royal Phoenix (orange-tinted 35mm series), and The Perky Peacock (recycled construction helmets) — all hand-sorted by the founders. The company also offered a Survival Kit add-on for self-service repairs. The brand operated as a unified offering promoting circular economy values for 7 years before ceasing operations in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Fox A colorful limited edition upcycled watch produced in a run of 50 pieces, manufactured from recycled tool boxes and hand-sorted by the founders. Designed for eco-conscious consumers seeking sustainable fashion accessories.
• Royal Phoenix A limited edition 35mm watch with a distinctive orange tint produced as a transitional piece between the Dazzling Zebra and Funky Fox models, featuring a unique color from the upcycling process.
• The Perky Peacock A purple limited edition upcycled watch created from old construction helmets, representing an expansion of the brand's material sourcing into new recycled input streams. Designed for eco-conscious consumers seeking unique sustainable accessories.
• Survival Kit A maintenance kit offered to existing customers after the company ceased operations, enabling self-service repairs, jeweler-conducted repairs, or use of regular watch bands if the original band fails.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• TRIWA: Swedish watch brand known for sustainable materials, ethical production, and distinctive design. Comparable mission-driven DTC positioning targeting eco-conscious consumers seeking alternatives to mainstream watch brands.
• Bobbee: Dutch brand producing watches from upcycled and reclaimed materials (notably wood). Closest direct peer to Circular Clockworks given shared Dutch origin, upcycled-material sourcing, and sustainable-fashion consumer positioning.
• Nordgreen: Danish sustainable watch brand combining minimalist Scandinavian design with environmentally and socially responsible production - directly comparable premium positioning in the sustainable fashion watch category.
• WeWOOD: Watch brand that built its identity around timepieces made from reclaimed wood with a sustainability mission - directly comparable material-upcycling approach and consumer positioning to Circular Clockworks.

Emerging players

• Solios Watches: Canadian solar-powered sustainable watch brand with strong eco credentials. Comparable mission-driven DTC positioning but differentiates via solar technology rather than upcycled materials.
• Vestris Watches: Sustainable watch brand with ethical production positioning. Comparable niche focus on eco-conscious consumers and limited-edition drops in the sustainable fashion watch category.
• Briston Watches: French watch brand with sustainable materials and contemporary design. Overlaps with Circular Clockworks in the premium sustainable watch niche but with broader mainstream-fashion styling.
• Votch: UK-based ethical watch brand using vegan and sustainable materials with a circular-economy ethos. Comparable to Circular Clockworks' conscious-fashion consumer targeting.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/circularclockworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Circular Clockworks