IWC Schaffhausen launched a special limited edition watch in Abu Dhabi along the sidelines of the Laureus Sports Awards in support of under privileged children all over the world. Sales from the proceed of the watch are donated to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which opens up opportunities for a better life to socially underprivileged children and by helping young people to help themselves.
Once again, the outstanding work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation was the inspiration for IWC Schaffhausen to select a model from the collection as an ambassador for a good cause. This is the fifth time that the Schaffhausen-based watch manufacturer has supported the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation with a special edition. The Portuguese Chronograph Automatic in 2006 was followed in 2007 by the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Automatic for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The series continued with the Da Vinci Chronograph in 2008 and, in 2009/10, with the Portuguese Automatic. And now, in 2011, it is the turn of the Ingenieur Automatic from the IWC Vintage Collection to sustain this sportinspired range of watches. The Ingenieur Automatic Edition Laureus Sport For Good Foundation in stainless steel with a dial in an unmistakable shade of blue is limited to 1,000 watches.
In keeping with a revered tradition, IWC Schaffhausen once again organized a children’s drawing competition within the projects supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation worldwide. The winning design is engraved on the back of the watch of the special edition.
This year, the jury chose the illustration by eightyear- old Sohel Abrar Khan from Mumbai, who is part of the Laureus supported Magic Bus project. The young boy interpreted the theme of the competition, “Time for Unity”, with a picture showing seven young people who have gathered for a game of football. The engraving is a reminder that a portion of the proceeds from sales is destined to help disadvantaged children in some of the world’s problem regions.
The watch that does good for its fifth watch destined to serve a good cause, the company selected a model from the IWC Vintage Collection. This classic-looking timepiece was inspired by the Ingenieur Automatic of 1955, whose revolutionary automatic movement created a sensation all those years ago. To this day, Albert Pellaton’s pawl-winding system with its spring-mounted rotor has remained a paragon of ultra-rugged watch technology at the highest level. More than half a century after its initial appearance, IWC’s watchmaking icon has been brought back firmly into the present: not as a copy, but as a modern tribute to a classic watch. The Ingenieur Automatic Edition Laureus Sport For Good Foundation is powered by the IWC-manufactured 80111 calibre with the Pellaton winding system and an integrated shock absorption system. Thanks to a screw-in crown, the robust timepiece is waterresistant to 12 bar and thus ideally equipped for the exacting demands of present-day life.
Unity in the slums of Mumbai the image used for the back engraving of the Ingenieur Automatic Edition Laureus Sport For Good Foundation was inspired by Magic Bus. Magic Bus, supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, provides an outdoor education for children living in poverty throughout India, including children from the Bombay Port Trust slum in Mumbai – one of the world’s poorest.
A watch that gives children fresh hope Ingenieur Automatic Edition Laureus Sport For Good Foundation communities and home to around 15,000 people. An eight-year-old child from this community created the watch image when he entered an IWC drawing competition through Magic Bus. The image depicts his idea of how to create unity in the slums. Magic Bus is an outdoor education programme that uses sport to reach out to children. From the age of 7 to 18, children engage in weekly two hour sessions, day trips and outdoor activity camps. A tailor-made curriculum takes them on a journey of self-discovery throughout their childhood, with young leaders from their own communities making them aware of their unique abilities and the world around them. This awareness turns into a belief among the children that they have value and can make a difference, which provides them with purpose in life. Magic Bus currently works with 150,000 children per year living in poverty. In the next three years it aims to expand across India, by training young leaders to deliver its programme, reaching out to one million children and young people each year.
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