Oris, France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel and the French association of children’s charities CNAPE team up on a joyful watch created to bring Change for the Better – Oris x LFP Divers Sixty-Five Limited Edition .
Playing as a team
Oris draws closer to France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel and to its children’s charity partner CNAPE
It’s a great pleasure to announce that we’re deepening our relationship with France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), which became an Oris Sustainability Partner in 2022. As the LFP’s Official Timekeeper, Oris times games across France’s top two leagues, Ligue 1 McDonald’s and Ligue 2 BKT. But from the moment we kicked off the partnership, both sides said there would always be much more to it than sharing logos and running pitch-side clocks.
No European football league has a greater commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) than the LFP. Every club in the league is involved, delivering more than 2,000 operations in support of 2,500 organisations.
Both Oris and the LFP are members of the UN’s Football for the Goals programme and aligned to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It’s a joy to partner with the LFP as we continue our mission to bring Change for the Better.
Now, we’re linking our sustainability programmes through a special project that unites Oris, the LFP and its charity partner CNAPE, France’s National Convention of Child Protection Associations. Together, we’ve collaborated on a new watch, the LFP Limited Edition (see page 4), a special piece that highlights the Tournoi des Défenseurs de l’Enfance, an annual football tournament that gives children an unforgettable experience and raises funds for associations supported by CNAPE.
Oris, the LFP and CNAPE will also be co-hosting a series of raffles on the HelloAsso platform, giving ticket buyers the chance to win one of 10 watches we’re donating to CNAPE, as well as special LFP products and packages. All funds raised will go directly to CNAPE.
“We’re so excited our partnership with the LFP is going up a league,” said Oris Co-CEO Rolf Studer. “We’re not interested in sticking logos on things; we want to make a real difference. And this powerful collaboration will bring real change. Our thanks to the LFP and CNAPE for embracing the Oris vision. Let’s achieve our goals together!”
Higher goals
The new LFP Limited Edition is inspired by CNAPE, a federation that unites France’s children’s charities, and by its joyful annual children’s football tournament.
It’s a huge joy to introduce the 1,000-piece LFP Limited Edition, a special watch we’ve created in close collaboration with France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and its charity partner CNAPE, the country’s National Convention of Child Protection Associations.
The watch is based on our retro sports design, the Divers Sixty-Five, and has a number of special features inspired by CNAPE. These are defined by a script typeface chosen because it captures the innocence of a child’s handwriting.
This script is used in place of all the dial writing, including the Oris logo (a highly unusual design touch), the words “Swiss Made” and the water-resistance rating information (10 bar, or 100 metres, as per the standard Divers Sixty-Five models).
A final flourish is in the words “water resistant”, which are not only written in the same script, but also in a rainbow of colour, chosen to mirror the logo used for CNAPE’s children’s football tournament, known as “Les Défenseurs de l’Enfance”, or “defenders of childhood”. The blue dial represents the UN’s 17th Sustainable Development Goal, “partnerships for the goals”. The case back is also decorated with the “Les Défenseurs de l’Enfance” logo.
Behind these details is the 38.00 mm stainless steel Divers Sixty-Five Date. It has a uni-directional rotating diving bezel with a minutes scale in relief, a screwin security crown, and lumed hands and hour markers. It’s powered by Oris Calibre 733, an automatic that provides the watch with a 41-hour power reserve and a date function at 6 o’clock. The watch is set on a stainless steel metal bracelet with a folding clasp.
Benjamin Morel, director general and chief executive of LFP Media, said: “What a fantastic campaign by our partner Oris! This unique Défenseurs de l’Enfance watch and the watch raffle in aid of CNAPE are a reminder of Oris’s support at our side and total commitment to child protection, which continues to be a pillar of the LFP’s CSR strategy.”
Interview Pierre-Alain Sarthou, general director of CNAPE
Pierre-Alain Sarthou, general director of CNAPE, explains his organisation’s vision and why the Oris partnership matters.
Pierre-Alain, tell us about yourself…
My name is Pierre-Alain, I’m 36 and for the past two years I’ve been head of the main federation of child protection associations in France, known as CNAPE. I’ve lived in Paris for 15 years, and have worked at the French National Assembly, then in a ministerial office at Bercy, on issues relating to the social economy. Like any Parisian bobo, I do everything by bike, I live on flat whites and I play an underground sport – water polo in my case.
And tell us about CNAPE…
CNAPE is a federation of nearly 200 associations working to protect children across France. In this country, child welfare concerns more than 400,000 children who are recognised as being at risk by a court decision and taken in by associations on a full-time or part-time basis. We want to enable them to grow in a peaceful and safe environment, something every child deserves. Our main mission is to bring the voice of the associations, social workers, and children’s rights to the attention of public officials, so that measures can be put in place in their interests. Alongside this, we’re developing national projects for these children, such as the Tournoi des Défenseurs de l’Enfance, to raise awareness of child protection and restore a positive image of children, who are often perceived only as troubled or problematic.
What challenges do you face today?
I’m not sure it’s a challenge, but rather a need to act, because the current situation in the child welfare sector in France is near chaotic. We’re doing everything we can to make our political leaders aware that we have staff shortages, under-funded projects and children whose fundamental rights are not respected for lack of time and resources. Child protection is not a political priority – kids don’t vote!
So how will you achieve your goals?
To be heard by public officials requires constant investment and commitment. There’s no need to fear that we won’t achieve our goals, because the ups and downs of political life are many. I believe the best way to achieve our goals is to be surrounded by a collective of committed people, eager to build a promising future for these children. And we have that.
Tell us about CNAPE and the LFP…
Our relations with the LFP are excellent, as we’ve been able to organise an event as important and high-profile as the Tournoi des Défenseurs de l’Enfance for the past four years. We share the same aspirations: to put a smile back on children’s faces and offer them prospects they would never have thought possible. I’d like to thank them again for joining us in defending these children, who are all too often overlooked in our society.
What impact has the tournament had?
It’s been a turning point for our associations and the children, who get to meet their favourite footballers and play with them on the same pitches and with the same equipment – it’s extraordinary! They unleash a lot playing like a pro. The event also attracts personalities from the world of culture, from media and from important institutions, giving real visibility to our cause. It’s been a huge success.
How will Oris’s new involvement help you realise your mission?
Brands have a major role to play in raising collective awareness of the ecological and societal issues of our time. Their positions, whether positive or negative, influence public opinion. The more brands commit themselves to the cause of children, the more civil society will understand the urgency of taking action, if only for the future of our society. So we‘re delighted that Oris has taken the side of all children.
What do you think of the watch?
We wanted an aesthetically pleasing, quality product that preserves the Oris values and that also fits the identity of a friendly, joyful sporting event aimed above all at children. We’re very pleased with the result and proud that people will be able to wear the colours of our collective through such an elegant object.
Finally, how can people reading this get involved in the federation?
This is an international issue. Get involved in the cause of children at a local level. Why not sponsor or mentor a child in difficulty? At the very least, consider the way you look at children under child protection, who don’t deserve the stereotypes to which they’re often subjected.
Changing lives is my great victory
French journalist and CNAPE ambassador Mohamed Bouhafsi explains his role in the Tournoi des Défenseurs de l’Enfance.
“I’ve been a proud CNAPE ambassador for four years, hosting the Tournoi des Défenseurs de l’Enfance. This football tournament gives 300 children and around 100 child welfare workers a weekend of fun. Educators tell me about the behavioural and academic improvements these children make, which brings me so much joy. In fact, it’s the great victory of my life, offering children dream moments to break the chain of violence. Like Oris, we want to change things for the better, build a happier society and improve the lives of future generations.”
Oris x LFP Divers Sixty-Five Limited Edition Technical Specifications
Ref. 733 7771 4085-Set
This 1,000-piece limited-edition Divers Sixty-Five celebrates the LFP and its CNAPE partnership with a colourful dial script that captures the innocence of childhood.
Movement
- Number Oris 733
- Functions Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date window at 6 o’clock, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device
- and stop-second
- Winding Automatic
- Power reserve 41 hours
Case
- Multi-piece stainless steel case and uni-directional rotating bezel with minutes scale in relief
- Size 38.00 mm (1.496 inches)
- Top glass Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside
- Case back Stainless steel, screwed, special engravings
- Operating devices Stainless steel screw-in security crown
- Water resistance 10 bar (100 m)
Dial
- Blue, special detailing
- Luminous material Indices, hands and lollipop seconds in Super-LumiNova®
Bracelet
- Multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet with folding clasp