Alicante Spain. – This Sunday 15th of January, The Ocean Race, a human adventure like no other and the toughest test for a sports team, will set sail for the first destination: Cabo Verde. Over the next six months, starting from the port of Alicante in Spain until the Grande Finale finish at the port of Genova in Italy, the teams will compete in a thrilling race around the world.
This 14th edition will feature two classes of ultra-high-performance ocean-going yachts: the IMOCA class and the VO65 class. The former will sail over 32,000 nautical miles around the world for The Ocean Race trophy, while the latter will have to accumulate the best score across three different legs of the race, competing for The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup.
This year, Ulysse Nardin is the Official Timing Partner and Time to Act Partner of the Race. Time is at the heart of the race: not only for competition and records, but also as time to act responsibly.
Indeed, to anchor its commitment to the Ocean, this edition of the Race will showcase Racing with Purpose, the most ambitious and comprehensive sustainability programme developed by a sporting event. Created in collaboration with 11th Hour Racing, the programme focuses not just on making the event as sustainable as possible, but also seizing every opportunity that the platform provides to help people understand how incredible the Ocean is and what they can do to protect it, including an ambitious campaign to drive a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights.
To anchor its commitment to the safeguarding of the Ocean, Ulysse Nardin also partnering with 11th Hour Racing Team, a USA -flagged offshore sailing team competing in The Ocean Race and is dedicated to promoting awareness of climate change and ocean health.
On top of its role in the “real life” race, the brand is also the Official Timing Partner of the most popular virtual sailing game in the world, Virtual Regatta, The Ocean Race edition. With more than one million players, the game confirms that real races and real skippers can mix with virtual sailing sports games.
Official timing partner
From the original inspiration of exploration that led to the creation of the first marine chronometer, to the nautical inspirations of the contemporary creations, Ulysse Nardin has always maintained a close relationship with the Ocean since its founding in 1846.
“The sea has always been part of our world and exploration has always been our spearhead.” said Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.
As Official Timing Partner of The Ocean Race, Ulysse Nardin will be responsible for all official race timings, including start countdowns, leg timings and finishes. Additionally, the brand will be the partner of the 24-hour Speed Challenge, where a trophy is awarded at the end of each leg to the team recording the greatest distance over a 24-hour period.
As a concrete pledge to the Ocean preservation and a celebration of the partnership, Ulysse Nardin has launched The Ocean Race Diver. Designed to be the first sustainable diver collection, this unique and breakthrough timepiece is the official watch of the Race.
The components of the watch’s movement are 95% sourced within a 30 km radius of the Manufacture, half of them coming from recycling channels.
The unidirectional bezel is adorned with Carbonium®, made of the same fibers used for the latest-generation aircraft components, which require 40% lower environmental impact than other carbon composites.
The side-case and case-back of the 44 mm watch are the result of an interesting combination of materials: 40% Carbonium® and 60% polyamide recycled from fishing nets, Nylo®.
The strap, equipped with a scratch closing, is also entirely recycled from fishing nets thanks to the work of FIL&LAB, a start-up of young Breton designers, who have created the first fishing net recycling business in France.
“Every day, Ulysse Nardin pushes the limits in all fields: technique, design and innovation. Now we are also bringing the same intensity to carry forward sustainability.” said Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.
Time To Act partner
In addition to its role as Official Timing Partner, Ulysse Nardin is also the Time to Act Partner of The Ocean Race, committed to the responsible use and conservation of the world’s oceans. The two partners believe that time is crucial for the regeneration of marine life and of the Ocean itself, and that establishing clear deadlines for action will encourage significant progress.
Racing with Purpose has been designed with 11th Hour Racing to help achieve this progress based on three main pillars:
THE OCEAN RACE SUMMITS, a series of high-level forums to design better policy for the Ocean and address global challenges using local innovation and best practices.
THE LEARNING PROGRAMME, which inspires and empowers young people around ocean issues and features learning modules in nine languages.
THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME that uses race boats and sailors to collect critical water and atmospheric data from remote areas of the Ocean, to improve ecological research. In fact, The Ocean Race will collect more data about the environment than any sporting event in the world.
Ulysse Nardin and The Ocean Race have pledged to meet the guidelines outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). And as part of the United Nations SDG 14 Ulysse Nardin is committed to keeping track of the scientific research required to make a difference.
“As the Time to Act partner of The Ocean Race, we at Ulysse Nardin are taking on the role of the ‘guardians of time’, and playing an essential role in delivering positive, timely results on these crucial environmental issues addressed in SDG 14.” explained Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.
11th Hour Racing Team
Ulysse Nardin and 11th Hour Racing Team have joined forces to promote awareness of the importance of ocean health for everyone. Based in Newport, Rhode Island, the name the team carries is a strong symbol: it refers to the last hour of the clock (the 11th hour), which reminds us that the clock is ticking, and time is running out to restore the health of our planet.
We will follow and support a crew of six professional sailors: Charlie Enright, Justine Mettraux, Simon Fisher, Amory Ross, Jack Bouttell and Francesca Clapcich. With their foiling 60-foot race boat Mālama, they will race through some of the most inhospitable waters on the planet, including the notoriously tough Southern Ocean.
11th Hour Racing Team has a mission to win both on and off the water. Sustainability is embedded in the heart of all team operations and the objective is to ensure that collective actions today will help to develop healthy communities, prosperous economies, and a better-protected planet for future generations.
“11th Hour Racing Team is the ideal partner for our brand. Like us, they are explorers. We strive to innovate using novel materials that lessen our impact on the environment and 11th Hour Racing Team employs cutting edge technology that proves sustainability can win the race.”, said Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.
Time waits for no one, not the sailor competing in the race, nor the environment that needs to be restored, and it is the way we spend this time that defines who we are. That’s why we encourage you to discover, participate and commit with us in our sustainable journey across the Ocean.
Ulysse Nardin Diver The Ocean Race Technical Specifications
Reference: 1183-170LE-1A-TOR/0A
Features:
- Hours, minutes, date
- Small second hand
- Power reserve indicator
Movement:
- UN 118 Manufacture movement
- Silicium & DiamonSil escapement technology
- Power reserve: 60 hours
Case:
- 44 mm
- Bezel: Unidirectional concave rotating
- Case back: Sapphire crystal, The Ocean Race logo (white transfer)
- Water resistance: 300 m
Wrist strap:
- Recycled from fishing nets
- Gray with green and white stitches
- Scratch closing
Price:
- CHF 10,900 / EUR 10,400 / USD 11,500 / GBP 9,540
Recycled parts:
• Side case and case back 40% Carbonium® and 60% recycled fishing nets, Nylo® (suppliers: Lavoisier Composite and FIL&FAB,
• Stainless steel case at least 80% recycled from the automotive industry (supplier: Voestalpine Boehler, Austria ).
• Bezel decoration 100% Carbonium®.
• Wrist strap with scratch closing 100% recycled from fishing nets (supplier: JTTI, France).
• Components of the UN 118 movement sourced in Switzerland, within a 30 km radius.
About Ulysse Nardin
Ulysse Nardin is the Manufacture inspired by the Ocean, producing advanced timepieces for explorers in pursuit of freedom.
Founded by Mr. Ulysse Nardin in 1846, the company owes its reputation to its links with the sea: its onboard marine chronometers are among the most award-winning and reliable ever designed.
A pioneer in innovative technologies and the use of high-tech materials such as silicium, Ulysse Nardin is one of the few integrated manufactures with the in-house expertise to produce its own high-precision components and movements. In 2001, the Maison changed the face of contemporary watchmaking by launching the first Freak.
To underscore its commitment to its favourite environment, Ulysse Nardin is active in supporting the preservation of the Ocean, focusing on two major areas: encouraging upcycling to reduce marine plastic pollution and developing scientific knowledge concerning the preservation of the sharks, its emblem.
Today, in the Swiss towns of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, Ulysse Nardin remains devoted to its quest for watchmaking perfection in four collections: Marine, Diver, Blast and Freak.
As of 2022, Ulysse Nardin and sister Maison Girard-Perregaux have formed an independent collective of high horology Manufactures.