ENGINEERING FOR THE FUTURE: EILEEN GU AND IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN HOST A SPECIAL TALK IN SHANGHAI WITH LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD
Schaffhausen/Shanghai, 2nd August 2023: Yesterday, together with IWC brand ambassador Eileen Gu, IWC Schaffhausen hosted an inspiring talk in its flagship boutique in Taikoo Hui Mall, Shanghai. The Olympic champion freestyle skier and Laureus Sports Awards winner was joined by Ned Wills, Managing Director of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. During the talk, they discussed how sports and an engineering spirit can together create a better future for not only the sports community but also the whole world.
IWC Schaffhausen has always been committed to supporting sports and encouraging people to feel the extraordinary value and charm of sports and competition. Yesterday, brand ambassador Eileen Gu visited IWC’s flagship boutique in Taikoo Hui Mall for a conversation about their shared values, appreciation for sports and visions for future generations. During the talk, she explained the common denominators between sports and IWC’s engineering of timepieces – both deeply rooted in passion and pursuit for excellence.
“Sport is a unique avenue for people to connect through a shared passion, to break limits and to improve their self confidence, resilience, and creativity – for kids and girls in particular. It is a cause that is integral to building a better future, and one that my IWC family believes in just as much as I do,” stated Eileen Gu.
Ned Wills, Managing Director of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation joined the talk and congratulated Eileen on her recently winning the “Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year” award at the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards. He shared more about the work of Laureus Sport for Good and the organisation’s long-term partnership with IWC. Valuable insights were also given by him, highlighting the importance of solidarity for a better future. “When forward-thinking people and organisations like Eileen Gu, IWC and Laureus unite, they can ignite real change for not only the sports community but also a better future for all. We can achieve greatness alone – but together, anything is possible,” said Ned Wills.
After the talk, they explored the boutique together with other distinguished guests. Spanning over 300 m2, it is the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer’s largest flagship boutique. From the collection displays and Portugieser Chronograph customisation studio to the Airspeeder Mixed Reality flight and the Big Pilot Bar, the boutique allows visitors to become fully immersed in the IWC universe. Alongside IWC’s Pilot’s Watches, Portugieser and Portofino collections, the IWC Laureus special edition timepieces are displayed. Since 2006, IWC has issued special edition timepieces in honour of Laureus Sport for Good.
Eileen appeared wearing the IWC Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 (Ref. IW659602). At just 37.1 millimetres, the elegant timepiece has an 18 carat 5N gold case, diamond-set bezel and moon phase display. It is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32800 calibre with a 120-hour power reserve which can be admired through the sapphire glass back. Perfectly complementing the case, it has a traceable taupe-coloured Swiss calfskin strap featuring the quick-change system.
EILEEN GU
After taking home two gold and one silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, freeskier Eileen Gu became the only action sports athlete to win three medals at the same Olympic games. This made her the youngest freeski Olympic Gold medallist in history. The teenager’s achievements on snow also include a slew of other record-breaking performances, including being the first snowsport athlete to ever win three medals at both the 2021 XGames and FIS World Championships. Eileen was also the first female freeskier to land a double cork 1440 and unnatural double cork 1620 in competition.
Eileen uses her voice to help foster cultural understanding and friendship through sports. As an ambassador for freeskiing in the US, China, and worldwide, she hopes to inspire young people, especially girls, to build confidence, break their own boundaries, and lead happier, healthier lives through sport. Named one of the TIME100 List of Most Influential People of 2022, Eileen has also been recognised for her efforts with the Vogue Aurora Award for female empowerment and the SuperELLE Youth Idol Award. As a cross-cultural bridge between the US and China, Eileen serves as a Global Ambassador for the Salt Lake City 2030 Olympic Bid. She has been a keynote speaker at the espnW Women in Sport Summit, received the “Next Gen” Award from Apex for Youth Organization and been named a Global Ambassador by the Asia Society of Southern California. Eileen is an accomplished student and fashion model with covers on Vogue, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and L’Officiel, among others, and is recognised by the honour society for finishing her first year as a full-time undergraduate student at Stanford.
LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD FOUNDATION
Laureus is a global movement that uses the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people. In 2000, Laureus’ founding patron Nelson Mandela said, “sport has the power to change the world”, and these words have become the philosophy of Laureus and the driving force behind its work. Since 2000, Laureus Sport for Good has used the power of sport to overcome violence, discrimination and inequality, changing the lives of over six and half million children and young people. The foundation currently supports more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries and territories.
IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.
Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specializes in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as colored ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.
A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimize its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organizations that work globally to support children and young people.