Emeco — the chair commissioned to survive a war

House 01 — Hanover, Pennsylvania, est. 1944. The 1006 Navy Chair: ~80% recycled aluminium, 77 steps by hand, tested to last 150 years.

EmecoHanover, Pennsylvania~80% recycled aluminium; recycled PET; wood

1006 Navy Chairs in brushed aluminium around a round table in a private dining room, Amsterdam — Courtesy Emeco

A chair commissioned to survive a war

In the 1940s the US Navy needed seating for warships and submarines: lightweight, non-corrosive, fire-resistant, and strong enough to shrug off a torpedo blast. Founder Wilton C. Dinges, working with aluminium experts at Alcoa, answered with a process that turns scrap aluminium into a material of extraordinary strength — and in 1944 the 1006 Navy Chair was born. It was tested to last 150 years, and legend has it Dinges proved the point by throwing one from a 12th-storey Chicago hotel window; it came back without a scratch.

Close-up of the 1006 Navy Chair's hand-brushed aluminium backrest — The 1006 Navy Chair, hand-brushed recycled aluminium — Courtesy Emeco

Begin with what's left over. Turn it into what will last. Emeco

77 steps, by hand, for 80 years

Every 1006 is still welded from twelve pieces of roughly 80% recycled aluminium in Hanover, Pennsylvania, through the famous 77-step process — forming, welding, grinding, heat-treating, anodising — spread across days of work by a dozen craftspeople. The anodised finish isn't a coating that sits on the metal; it converts the surface itself into an oxide layer close to a diamond in hardness, which is why the chair is approved not just for outdoors but for marine environments. Eames Demetrios — grandson of Charles Eames — found the process remarkable enough to document it in his short film 77 Steps.

Craftsman hand-brushing an aluminium chair seat at the Emeco factory in Hanover, Pennsylvania — Hand-brushing a seat at the Hanover factory, one of 77 steps — Courtesy Emeco

A welder at work on a 1006 Navy Chair frame at the Emeco factory — Welding and heat treatment of the 1006 Navy Chair at the Hanover factory — Courtesy Emeco

Heat treatment of 1006 Navy Chair components at the Emeco factory — Welding and heat treatment of the 1006 Navy Chair at the Hanover factory — Courtesy Emeco

From mil-spec to design canon

What was engineered for one demanding client turned out to suit many others. The Navy Chair entered restaurants, hotels and museum collections; Philippe Starck's Hudson chair — created for New York's Hudson Hotel — began a run of collaborations that now includes Jasper Morrison and Norman Foster. In 2010 the 111 Navy Chair, made with Coca-Cola from at least 111 recycled PET bottles each, has since diverted tens of millions of bottles from landfill. For Emeco's 80th anniversary in 2024, Jasper Morrison curated the exhibition Emeco to Emeco at Triennale Milano during Milan Design Week.

The Hudson Chair by Philippe Starck in polished aluminium — The Hudson Chair, 111 Navy Chair and 1 Inch All Aluminum Chair — Courtesy Emeco

The 111 Navy Chair in red recycled PET, front view — The Hudson Chair, 111 Navy Chair and 1 Inch All Aluminum Chair — Courtesy Emeco

Why Objena: no other chair on our floor carries a lifetime guarantee backed by an unbroken 80-year production run. It is the clearest possible answer to the question every considered buyer asks — why this price? Because it is the last one you will buy.

Words Objena Published August 2026

From the Emeco galleries

Heritage Stacking Chair

20-06 Stacking Chair

Run Bench

Run aluminium bench and table with two 1006 Navy Chairs — Emeco

Run Bench

Emeco Stool

On & On Chair

Photography courtesy Emeco · every piece above is in the Objena catalogue — view the Emeco collection

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