IWC celebrated the success of the Plastiki expedition by holding an online auction for a unique timepiece created to commemorate the event – a platinum version of the Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology”. The piece sold for 30,800 euros or a little over $40,000, and IWC will donate the entire proceeds to the Sculpt the Future Foundation, where they will be used to help fund an ongoing Plastiki project by the name of “The Plastiki Pod”.
Plastiki, a 60 foot catamaran made almost entirely of reclaimed plastic bottles, sailed approximately 8,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney, completing its voyage late last month. Adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild used the expedition to draw attention to the health of the oceans, and in particular the devastating consequences of plastic pollution. The ship used solar panels, wind turbines and bicycle-powered electricity generators to embody a vision of a future in which everything is possible, as long as we are prepared to get off the beaten track.
For their several-month voyage, the Plastiki crew was equipped with stainless steel examples of IWC’s Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology” model, which is limited to 1,000 pieces. The watch offers 12 bar water resistance and the case features protective shoulders for the crown and houses the IWC-manufactured 80110 caliber, which has a soft-iron inner case to shield it against magnetic fields and a shock absorption system as protection against impacts.
“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 CEO Georges Kern, following the successful auction. “It means that the basic idea behind the Plastiki expedition will live on.”
You can click the link to learn more about the Sculpt the Future Foundation at their official website.
IWC’s Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology”
The Plastiki catamaran
