Sporting legends launch IWC watch design to raise funds for Laureus
At the IWC Boutique in London, IWC Schaffhausen presented a limited special edition watch Ingenieur Automatic Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation”, with the characteristic Laureus blue on the dial. As part of IWC Schaffhausen’s long-term commitment to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the sports timepiece maintains one of the Swiss watchmaker’s grand traditions: part of the proceeds from sales will go to help children in crisis-hit areas of the world.
The watch, which will raise funds for Laureus was unveiled at an exclusive event by Laureus World Sports Academy Members Sir Steve Redgrave and Sean Fitzpatrick. The engraving on the back of the watch reproduces the drawing by a girl from Uganda, who won the IWC children’s drawing competition. Cooperation with Laureus is one of many social and ecological commitments that IWC Schaffhausen actively promotes, and one that is based on a partnership of shared values.
The Ingenieur Automatic Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” (Ref. IW323909) is the ninth in a series of special editions that IWC traditionally releases to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Part of the proceeds from sales goes to aiding the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, whose sports-related social projects are designed to have a positive influence on the lives of disadvantaged children around the world.
IWC Schaffhausen has acted as a global partner of the Laureus foundation since 2005. The annual limited special edition watch is a constant reminder that the future of children in need is a topic that affects us all.
Laureus Academy Member Sir Steve Redgrave, who won five Olympic rowing gold medals at five consecutive Olympic games, commended Zahara’s design:
“Zahara’s design brings the ‘Time to Celebrate’ theme to life and it’s fantastic that it will be worn by IWC Schaffhausen customers around the world. The funds raised by this initiative will go directly towards supporting our Laureus projects, educating these children, using sport as a tool for social change and giving children hope and dreams.”
All Blacks international rugby legend Sean Fitzpatrick, Vice-Chair of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, commented:
“I’ve seen the incredible projects and communities around the world which are being supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The production of this Limited Edition IWC Schaffhausen watch will benefit people like Zaharah, and thousands of others from 150 projects in 35 countries around the world, giving them the tools to help themselves and others within their communities.”
A small watch with a big impact
The elegant Ingenieur Automatic Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation”, with its three hands, is a classic in the Ingenieur watch family and features a timeless, distinctively clear design together with protection against magnetic fields. This means the sporty timepiece far exceeds the Swiss standards laid down for protection against magnetic fields in watches. The chunky, screw-in crown is generously sized and shielded by solid protective shoulders. Despite its elegant appearance, the Ingenieur Automatic Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” is thus extremely functional, robust and suitable for everyday use. One of the hallmarks of the Laureus special editions, along with their blue dial, is the engraving on the case back. The motif for this year’s engraving is based on the winning entry submitted for the 2014 drawing competition organized by IWC within all the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation projects worldwide. The subject, “Time to celebrate”, encouraged many children and young people from all over the world to submit entries. The jury selected the drawing by 13-year-old Nakayenga Zahara from Nakulabye in Uganda. Her picture shows a group of happy cheerleaders with pom-poms, celebrating a goal.
Sport as a preventative measure
Nakayenga Zahara grew up in the poor district of Nakulabye, close to the Ugandan capital of Kampala. HIV/AIDS is widespread here, sanitary facilities are few and far between, and good news is a rare commodity. Precisely for this reason, the Community Based AIDS Programme (COBAP) settled here to offer healthcare, rehabilitation and protection to people afflicted by HIV/AIDS. Many of those infected are children and young people, who thanks to financing from the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation now have access to sporting disciplines such as athletics, boxing, table tennis, volleyball and cycling. At one time, it was difficult to motivate the inhabitants of the slums to attend events providing information about health services. Sport has proven to be an effective means of establishing contact with the people and making them aware of issues as basic as these. COBAP employees organize sports events and use the half-time breaks to provide people with information. The results are encouraging: the rate of HIV infection has slowed, and drug abuse among young people is steadily declining.
