German tennis legend Boris Becker visited IWC Schaffhausen’s Boutique at Dubai Mall yesterday (March 8th 2010) to launch the 4th Limited Edition Watch that will benefit the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation charity.
Watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has joined forces with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, an organisation that combines sport and social commitment at the very highest level. Every year the best sportsmen and sportswomen from all over the globe are recognised at the annual Laureus World Sports Awards. In the context of this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi, IWC Schaffhausen and vice chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy Boris Becker are showcasing the fourth in a series of watches, the IWC Portuguese Automatic Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Part of the proceeds from the sales of the watch goes to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
A supporting pillar of the Foundation is the Laureus World Sports Academy, which is made up of 46sporting legends from all over the world. Tennis legend Boris Becker is vice chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, and through his involvement with the Foundation he intends to give back to society part of what sport has given to him. “As a father of four children and a sportsman, I see it as my duty to support others with my wealth of experience.” He travels the world and regularly visits Laureus Sport for Good Foundation projects, imparts public awareness to these projects and, at the same time, sends a signal to the participants that they are taken seriously by society.
“Probus Scafusia”: good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen – also for a good cause
Sports watches are one of IWC's most important segments alongside the company's horological specialities. For the fourth time in a row, IWC Schaffhausen is supporting the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation with a special edition, and part of the proceeds from its sales will go to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. In the context of this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi, IWC Schaffhausen and vice chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy Boris Becker are showcasing the fourth in a series of watches, the IWC Portuguese Automatic Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. This model, with its unmistakeable dial in Laureus blue, is limited to 1000 pieces. The series of watches dedicated to sport is thus continued and builds upon the tradition of the special editions of previous years: the Da Vinci Chronograph in 2008, the Pilot's Watch Chrono-Automatic in 2007 and the Portuguese Chrono-Automatic in 2006. To lend force to its involvement, IWC Schaffhausen conceived the book Let the Children Play in 2007 and produced in association with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. This hardcover illustrated volume, written in English, presents the work of famous photo-journalists who report on ten selected Laureus Sport for Good projects with deeply touching images. The book can be ordered at www.iwc.com or www.laureus.com. Purchasers of the Portuguese Automatic Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation watch also receive a complimentary copy of the book Let the Children Play.
IWC's continuing involvement
As vice chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy and watch enthusiast, Boris Becker is delighted by the lasting and intensive involvement of IWC Schaffhausen alongside the other global partners Mercedes-Benz and Vodafone of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Thanks to the financial support of these global partners, around 1,000,000 children and young people have been able to benefit from this involvement with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in more than 70 projects throughout the world. Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, explains the motivation for the continuing support of the Laureus Sport for GoodFoundation: “As an internationally active company, we bear social responsibility on all five continents. The new Laureus watch enables IWC customers to support our Involvement with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. This involvement directly benefits those who are socially, physical or economically disadvantaged. In doing so, we utilize sport as a universal
language, and as Nelson Mandela put it so succinctly, at the inaugural Awards ceremony, ‘Sport has the power to change the world.’ ”
