About: The Spirit of Place

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THE SPIRIT OF PLACE

Our name is our mission. Lōcī is the Latin word for "places".

COMMITMENT TO IMPACT

Places have been transformative forces in my life. I've experienced them at their best — and also on their worst, disaster-stricken days. I believe not only in the power of places, but in the power of service. That’s why I’m building Lōcī from the ground up as an impact business, donating 10% of every sale to protect endangered places.. When you wear a Lōcī watch, you're protecting the places we love.

Together we can make sure the Spirit of Place endures for our kids and for generations to come.

— Trip Henderson, Founder

THE POWER OF PLACES

Lōcī was born from the realization that places have power. Maybe you’ve felt it, too — the Spirit of Place. When you wear a Lōcī, you put the spirit of the place that inspired it on your wrist.

Why do people travel to the other side of the world for vacation, or walk a favorite path in the park every day? Why does a swim in the ocean feel so different from a backyard pool? Why hike up a mountain or through the woods when you could just hop on a treadmill at your gym?

Because places have the power to affect us. Challenge us. Inspire us. Maybe even change us. They have something to tell us. We all know places that recharge and energize us, awaken our senses, clear our heads, or change our perspective. These are just some of the ways the Spirit of Place speaks to us.

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THE SPIRIT OF PLACE

The Spirit of Place is at the heart of everything Lōcī does. The phrase has a double meaning. One is commonly used today, the other is based in Roman antiquity.

Today people use “Spirit of Place” to encapsulate all the things that make a certain place unique or memorable — the people, culture, sights, sounds, it’s overall energy or vibe. How we feel when we’re there. This spirit is what Lōcī aims to capture in the design of our watches.

The Spirit of Place is why Tokyo hits different than Telluride, and Maui feels different from Machu Picchu. It distills every aspect of a place’s natural environment, geography, history, and culture, the impressions and echoes left by everyone who’s been there before. They’re all part of the remarkable alloy we experience as the Spirit of Place.

What will you add to that alloy? Everyone leaves their mark on a place, just as the place leaves its mark on us.

This two-way relationship with the Spirit of Place connects us to something larger than ourselves. It’s a conduit to the people who’ve been there before and those who’ll be there in the future. To what’s happened there and what’s still to come. This sense of connectedness, perspective, and meaning is our gift from the Spirit of Place.

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The special places that inspire our watch designs have the power to move us — but they also have also vulnerabilities that put them at risk.

That's why Lōcī is a purpose-driven, impact business. We're the only watch company in the world contributing 10% of all sales to top-rated non-profits that protect and preserve endangered places and fragile environments.

When you buy a Lōcī you join a movement to protect and preserve special places, today and for generations to come.

FOUND IN TRANSLATION:

THE GENIUS LOCI

The ancient Romans had a deeply held and more specific belief about the Spirit of Place, or genius loci as they called it in Latin. To them the genius loci was an incredibly powerful guardian spirit of a special place.

Just as the Spirit of Place inspires our watch designs, the guardian genius loci inspires the brand's purpose. Because if places are worth traveling to, living in, fighting for, and painting pictures of — then they’re also worth protecting.

We have a responsibility to ensure the Spirit of Place endures for others to experience.

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But today special places and fragile environments everywhere are increasingly under threat — of being thoughtlessly altered, irreparably damaged, even completely lost. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and intense. Forces like environmental pollution, higher temperatures, deforestation, and rising sea levels…All these and more threaten to permanently damage or destroy some of the most fragile, beautiful, and meaningful places in our own backyards and around the globe.

The places we love reflect who we are and what we value. They become a part of us. Who will protect them?

We’re stepping up for places that matter. Join us.

DISCOVERING THE SPIRIT OF PLACE

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Lōcī is built on a passion for watches; more importantly a belief in the power of places; and most importantly the drive to create positive impact in the world. If you’re curious why I chose to build the brand around the Spirit of Place concept, read on.

Brand Origin Story