ENGINEERED BY IWC – DESIGNED BY CHILDREN
ENGINEERED BY IWC – DESIGNED BY CHILDREN
At the Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai, IWC Schaffhausen presented the limited special edition watch Ingenieur Automatic Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation”, with the characteristic Laureus blue on the dial. As part of the company’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 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.
As the world’s best sportsmen and women gathered to- gether at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai, the event also saw the unveiling of a sports timepiece from Swiss watch manufacturer, IWC Schaffhausen. 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 foundation. Joining Goris Verburg, Managing Director IWC Schaffhausen North East Asia, and Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, was Chinese artistic gymnast, multiple Olympic gold medal winner and world champion, Li Xiaopeng. To- gether, they presented a limited classic timepiece to the press, whose dial in the characteristic Laureus blue is an indication that its mission goes far beyond merely display- ing the time. 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 posi- tive influence on the lives of disadvantaged children around the world.
LI XIAOPENG SUPPORTS LAUREUS
Recently named as a new ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Li Xiaopeng showed great respect for its valuable work. “The Foundation has an enor- mous influence on the lives of many disadvantaged chil- dren,” stressed Li Xiaopeng. “Children exposed to dire circumstances, whether in the middle of a big city or war- torn region, need something to hold on to. Laureus projects give them a cause for optimism and encourage team spirit, regardless of the colour of their skin, religion or ethnic back- ground.” 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. “The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is proof that by joining forces we can achieve an enormous amount,” summarized Goris Verburg. “We as a company are very proud to sup- port and advance this global social commitment.” Chair- man of the Laureus World Sports Academy Edwin Moses produced a number of figures to underline the success of Laureus’ actions: “Since 2000, Laureus has collected over 60 million euros. This money has enabled us to support 150 local projects in 35 countries and has pushed the lives of one-and-a-half million young people in a more positive direction.”
WATCH WITH ENORMOUS EFFECT
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 submit- ted 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 PREVENTIVE MEASURE
Nakayenga Zahara grew up in the poor district of Nakulabye, close to the Ugandan capital of Kampala. HIV/AIDS is wide- spread 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.
