JLC Donates to UNESCO Marine Reserves in Brazil

Since 2008, the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre has been committed alongside UNESCO and the International Herald Tribune to preserving exceptional marine places through the Tides of Time partnership. As part of this initiative, Jaeger-LeCoultre has made a donation to one of the 46 marine sites appearing on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Jaeger-LeCoultre makes donation to Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List

20,000 US Dollars to assist Fernando de Noronha management in Brazil

Peaks of the Southern Atlantic submarine ridge form the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Rocas Atoll off the coast of Brazil. The islands are part of a large submarine mountain system of volcanic origin. The Fernando de Noronha volcano is estimated to be between 1.8 million and 12.3 million years old. There are less than ten volcanic islands in the Southern Atlantic, and the Fernando de Noronha and Rocas Atoll Reserves represent more than 50% of the insular South Atlantic coastal area. The waters are extremely important for the breeding and feeding of tuna, shark, turtle and marine mammals. The islands are home to the largest concentration of tropical seabirds in the Western Atllantic. Baia de Golfinhos has an exceptional population of resident dolphin and at low tide the Rocas Atoll provides a spectacular seascape of lagoons and tidal pools teeming with fish. As the site makes up such a large proportion of the insular coastal habitat, the site is essential to maintaining marine biodiversity for the entire South Atlantic basin.

This donation will be dedicated to preserving this exceptional marine site. The purchase of a fully equipped rubber dinghy will enable the implementation of a regular monitoring programme aimed at evaluating the state of conservation of its exceptionally rich marine life and of countering illegal fishing activities by facilitating swift interception of non-authorised boats.

The Tides of Time partnership

In order to raise worldwide public awareness regarding the conservation challenges and protection of marine sites and to provide support to this precious environmental cause, the Manufacture has been involved since 2008 in a partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage centre. Jaeger-LeCoultre cooperates with the International Herald Tribune in bringing readers' attention to the eight annually selected marine sites – all of which appear on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Each year, Jaeger-LeCoultre also provides immediate financial backing for UNESCO through the auction of a watch from the Manufacture.

Every year a Jaeger-LeCoultre Diving watch is auctioned in order to preserve a marine site appearing on the UNESCO World Heritage list:

·        2009 – Prototype N°1 of the Master Compressor Extreme W-Alarm Tides of Time £13 540 for the site Tubbataha (Philipines)

·        2010 – Geophysic 1958 E168 £12 600 for the site Sundarbans (India)

·        2011 – Prototype N°1 of the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea £16 000 for the site Malpelo (Columbia)

·        2012 – Prototype N°1 of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph £9 300 for Puerto Princesa site (Philipines)

·        2013 – Prototype N°1 of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet 17 700 $ for the site Fernando de Noronha (Brazil)

The World Heritage Marine Programme

Launched in 2005, the World Heritage Marine Programme aims to establish effective conservation of existing and potential marine areas of Outstanding Universal Value to make sure they will be maintained and thrive for generations to come.

Today, the 46 marine World Heritage sites cover about 1/4 by area of all 6,000 marine protected areas (MPAs) on the planet. They have the highest internationally recognized status for conservation and represent the Crown Jewels of the Ocean, the most prestigious MPA network that is selected and held accountable for its management actions through a rigorous monitoring and evaluation process set against the highest standards of international best practice.

What has been achieved so far?

Between 2009-2012, the Tides of Time partnership with Jaeger-LeCoultre and the International Herald Tribune and the additional support of the Government of Flanders (Belgium) enabled the World Heritage Centre to lay the foundation for a solid future for its Marine Programme. Since 2009, the Centre has:

•     Doubled the marine area protected under the 1972 World Heritage Convention: the World Heritage List now includes 5 of the 10 largest MPAs in the World;

•     Established a substantial marine World Heritage site managers community by pooling their wealth of expertise and management successes together through a web-based forum and bi-annual meetings where concrete results are shared and communicated;

•     Developed science-based guidance to support States Parties in nominating new potential marine World Heritage sites and help sites implement the latest management tools and technologies;

•     Achieved unprecedented recognition for the largely unexplored potential of the 1972 World Heritage Convention for ocean conservation among NGOs and the wider public;

•     Launched a roadmap to scale up management capacity, making marine World Heritage sites ready to cope with increasingly challenging ocean environments;

•     Started new projects to develop twinning arrangements between marine sites to work jointly on conservation challenges.

Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. The inventors of the Vallée de Joux.

A major player in watchmaking history since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre is celebrating its 180th anniversary. At a time when Swiss watchmaking still operated in cottage-industry mode, Antoine LeCoultre and his son Elie decided to unite under one roof the many different professions involved in making a watch. LeCoultre & Cie thus became the first full-fledged "Manufacture" or comprehensive watch manufacturer in the Vallée de Joux. It now houses the over 180 different skills required to develop and produce the most prestigious timepieces in their entirety. Engaged in a tireless quest for excellence supported by a unique spirit of invention, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to perpetuate the tradition of Grande Complication timepieces through a succession of extraordinary creations: Atmos Mystérieuse (2003), Gyrotourbillon 1 (2004), Reverso grande complication à triptyque (2006), Master Compressor Extreme Lab 1 (2007), Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 (2008), Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie (2009), Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication (2010), Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau (2011), Duomètre Sphérotourbillon (2012) and Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon 3 Jubilee (2013).

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