IWC Schaffhausen

Online Auction

The Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology” in platinum went to the highest bidder for the sum of 30,800 euros

Date — 9 August, 2010

—The Plastiki Expedition logo alludes to the adventurous voyage from San Francisco to Sydney undertaken by David de Rothschild and his crew on a catamaran made of reclaimed plastic bottles

An online auction organised by watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen for a unique and valuable timepiece ended on a high note last weekend. IWC is donating the entire proceeds from the highest bid of 30,800 euros for the unique Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology” in platinum to the “Sculpt the Future Foundation”. For official partner IWC Schaffhausen, the auction was a way of paying tribute to the successful Plastiki expedition.

On 23 July 2010, three days before the arrival of the Plastiki expedition in Sydney, an auction for the unique platinum timepiece opened on the expedition website at www.theplastiki.com. The reserve price for the only platinum version of the Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology” from IWC Schaffhausen was 30,000 euros. When the hammer finally came down at 12.00 hours CET on 7 August 2010, this unique, valuable timepiece went to a watch lover from UK for 30,800 euros. IWC is donating the entire proceeds from the auction to the “Sculpt the Future Foundation”, which will be channelling the funds into the ongoing Plastiki project by the name of “The Plastiki Pod”. “As a CO2-neutral company, we are particularly pleased that the proceeds from the auction will be used to support inspiring ideas in the struggle against environmental pollution,” commented IWC’s CEO Georges Kern, following the successful auction. “It means that the basic idea behind the Plastiki expedition will live on.”

—The Plastiki covered over 8,000 nautical miles across the Pacific to draw attention to the devastating effects of plastic garbage on the world’s oceans. Image ©Luca Babini

A watch on a mission

The Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology” is the expedition watch par excellence. Water-resistant to 12 bar, the case features protective shoulders for the crown and houses the IWC-manufactured 80110 calibre, which has a soft-iron inner case to shield it against magnetic fields and a shock absorption system as protection against impacts. For their voyage lasting several months, the members of the Plastiki were equipped with the stainless-steel model, which is limited to 1,000 pieces. Aboard the Plastiki, an 18-metre-long catamaran made almost entirely of reclaimed plastic bottles, they sailed approximately 8,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney. Adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild used the expedition to draw attention to the health of our oceans, in particular the devastating consequences of plastic pollution. His aim is to bring about a change in attitude and persuade people to see garbage as a valuable resource. The spectacular Plastiki, with its solar panels, wind turbines and bicycle-powered electricity generators embodies Adventure Ecology’s vision of a future in which everything is possible as long as we are prepared to get off the beaten track.

The “Sculpt the Future Foundation”

The “Sculpt the Future Foundation” is a UK- registered charitable organisation that supports creative and innovative anti-pollution projects designed to bring about a reversal of thinking and a future-oriented form of environmental protection. The foundation’s work is based on the belief that investment in grass-roots organisations and small-scale initiatives is worthwhile because these tend to be driven by young people whose greatest asset is their passion and commitment.

www.sculptthefuturefoundation.org