With the environment around us regularly endangered by pollution, over-fishing, dumping, deforestation and more, many top-notch watch brands are going out in full support of protecting and preserving wildlife, forests and nature. Sometimes they even create watches wherein a portion of the proceeds go to support these organizations. For those who are environmentally conscious, these brands or watches may be of particular interest.
Rolex, for example, has established the Rolex Awards for Enterprise to celebrate entrepreneurial individuals who take on major challenges to improve life or protect the planet. Each year, Rolex Laureates are awarded support to help bring their projects to fruition. Among the current projects: Electronic Eyes in the Wild, wherein new tracking technologies developed by Rolex Laureates are proving helpful in the race to save endangered species.
Additionally, the brand has been behind some of the greatest ocean explorations of our time. In fact, it is a key supporter of the Deep-Sea Challenge wherein filmmaker-turned-explorer James Cameron ventured to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a submersible. Cameron built his own futuristic vertical submersible vehicle and the 3-D cameras that enabled him to explore life at depths of more than 30,000 feet. He spent seven years on research and design to build equipment that could sustain the unbearable pressure at 36,000 feet under the ocean. He coordinated a top-notch team of experts who were just as enthralled about, and challenged by, the dive concept as he was. He sought out advice from U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh, the operator of the bathyscaphe Trieste that made the first (and only previous) venture to the Mariana Trench more than 50 years ago in 1960 (Rolex was on that journey, too, strapped to the hull of the Bathyscaphe). The team built in arms for taking samples of sand and rock. They rigged bait to catch different species of life for future examination. In 2012, Cameron embarked on his exploration, and brought back a host of important samples for research. Strapped to the outside camera arm, was the new experimental Rolex DeepSea Challenge watch, modeled after the new Deepsea Challenge D-Blue watch.
IWC supports a host of ocean and bio-diversity involvements that range from partnering with the Cousteau Society to partnering with the Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos. It was in 2009 that IWC first announced its support of the Charles Darwin Foundation and its efforts to preserve the environmentally rich and vital Galapagos Islands. Due to invasive pests, animals and other non-indigenous species, the Galapagos and its unique wildlife are threatened. In addition to its vast funding, the brand has also built a special Galapagos Islands timepiece in its Aquatimer family, from which a portion of the proceeds of sales benefit the cause.
Similarly, through its relationship with UNESCO, Jaeger-LeCoultre supports the protection of 46 marine sites that enjoy conservation status thanks to their place on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Jaeger-LeCoultre has been involved in this project for more than half a dozen years and provides immediate financial backing for UNESCO to support the daily activities conducted among these 46 crown jewels of the oceans.
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