Watchmakers Paying it Forward
Navigator talks to the leading watch manufacturers paying it forward.
Ulysse Nardin – One More Wave & OCEARCH
Close to the hearts and heads of many Navigator readers is the work of Ulysse Nardin. Americas President François-Xavier Hotier advises that the manufacturer is a major supporter of activities encompassing a wide range of causes from diversity and inclusion to a number of ocean-related initiatives. One such project is One More Wave, whose objective is to help wounded or disabled veterans through surf therapy and to get them back in the water by providing customized surfing equipment and assistance. The brand also is a patron of OCEARCH, helping to support 21 different projects protecting endangered shark species, including potential breakthroughs in the treatment of bite victims.
Richard Mille – Institut du Cerveau
Richard Millee supports the Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau). The relationship was initially announced in September 2020 and it remains the philanthropic focus for 2021. Mille says, “Since the creation of this institute in Paris some ten years ago it has grown to become one of the leading research centers for brain and spinal illnesses that can touch each and every one of us by the sheer magnitude of all those affected. This institute is the second largest in the world dedicated to this cause and gathers very experienced researchers from all corners of the globe.”
Chopard – Alpine Eagle Collection
The houses behind some of the most recognized watch brands are serious about philanthropy. Switzerland-based Chopard is committed to protecting the Alpine environment through the Eagle Wing Foundation. This innovative and multidisciplinary environmental project is designed to raise awareness and galvanize the public with respect to the importance, beauty and fragility of Alpine biotopes. Since 1850, there has been a 60% decrease in the mountainous nation’s glacier volume. In Chopard’s Alpine Eagle collection, this beauty of nature also serves as an inspiration, whether depicted in the counterweight of the second hand that is shaped like an eagle’s feather or in the compass on the crown designed as a reminder that the path of adventurers long predates GPS. Sheufele tells Navigator, “Spending a lot of time in the mountains, I have always been deeply concerned by the Alps’ fauna and flora and the evident changes happening in this fragile ecosystem. As a founding member of the Eagle Wings Foundation, Chopard wishes to promote a more sustainable way of life, while raising awareness of Mother Nature’s timely needs.”
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