IWC Schaffhausen presents the Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” to celebrate the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Berlin. The timepiece, limited to 1,500 watches, marks the tenth special edition to be launched by the Schaffhausen-based luxury watchmaker as part of its commitment to Laureus Sport for Good. The winning design from last year’s IWC children’s drawing competition is engraved on the case back. This special engraving is a reminder that a portion of the proceeds from sales goes to Laureus to help support its social projects.
Sport eliminates differences, imparts self-confidence and promotes team spirit: this is the motto of Laureus Sport for Good, an organization that believes in the integrative force of sport, harnessing its potential to advance social change and provide more promising future prospects for disadvantaged children and adolescents. Since 2006, IWC Schaffhausen has been supporting the foundation on an annual basis by launching a special watch in aid of the cause. “Our cooperation with Laureus forms one of the cornerstones of our commitment to social responsibility. The foundation, and its ambassadors from the world of professional sport, are tirelessly and passionately dedicated to improving society. I am proud that we have been able to support this important and necessary work for the tenth year running with a special edition”, summarizes Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
This year, the timepiece of choice is a model from the Portofino family. The Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” (Ref. IW459006) is limited to 1,500 watches worldwide. The dial and the moon phase display feature the unmistakable Laureus blue, lending the timepiece an extraordinary plasticity and depth. The hour indices are complemented by12 diamonds, which combine with the blue alligator leather strap from Santoni to give the timepiece a very elegant overall look. With a case measuring 37 millimetres in diameter, this watch is also suitable for watch lovers with slender wrists. It is driven by the automatic 35800-calibre movement with a power reserve of 42 hours.
A CHILDREN’S DRAWING ADORNS THE CASE
In addition to their distinctive blue colour, another characteristic feature of the Laureus special editions is the engraving on the case back. Each year, IWC organizes a drawing competition for children and adolescents in the context of the foundation’s projects. An expert jury then reviews all the entries to select the winning design to be engraved on the back of the watch. For the tenth special edition in this series, the jury chose the drawing by 16-year-old EleniPartakki from Cyprus. Her drawing on the competition theme “Time for Sport” shows girls and boys playing with a ball. EleniPartakki is a participant of PeacePlayers International Cyprus (PPI), a project that actively encourages Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot boys and girls living in the divided Cyprus to play basketball together.
IWC BRAND AMBASSADORS ATTEND AWARDS NIGHT
For the first time ever, this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony was held in Berlin. These internationally renowned awards have been presented annually in various categories ever since Laureus Sport for Good was founded in 2000. The winners are selected by the Laureus World Sports Academy, which currently consists of over 50 living legends from the sporting world, including American track and field athlete Edwin Moses and German figure skater Katarina Witt. The gala in Berlin was also attended by the prominent IWC brand ambassadors NicoRosberg, Oliver Bierhoff and Alexei Nemow. IWC has been a dedicated Global Partner of Laureus Sport for Good since 2005. In 2007, the luxury Swiss watchmaker co-founded the Laureus Foundation Switzerland in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Switzerland. A total of 1.1 million Swiss francs were raised for the cause at the ninth Laureus Charity Night in Dübendorf last November thanks to proceeds from the event – including those from the auctioning of a Portuguese Tourbillon MystèreRétrograde Unique Piece “Laureus Charity Night”. The money raised will benefit various projects organized by the foundation in Switzerland – in particular, Laureus Girls in Sport and Laureus Street Soccer.
LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD
Laureus Sport for Good channels the power of sport to bring about positive social change. The foundation’s pri-mary focus here is on fostering the personal development of children and adolescents and promoting the integration of young people who are disadvantaged for social, economic or other reasons. Not only is sport the perfect tool for imparting self-confidence, self-esteem and social skills, but it also helps young people to stay healthy. In this way, Laureus Sport for Good is helping to sustainably ensure a positive life for the next generation. The foundation sponsors four social sports projects in Switzerland. With more than 150 projects worldwide, the Laureus Foundation helps over 1.5 million children and adolescents in 34 countries to prepare themselves for the challenges life has to offer them.
