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A diving legend lives on

Set into the stainless steel back of your Aquatimer Chronograph “Cousteau Divers”, you will find a small wooden disc with a silhouette of the legendary “Calypso”. The wood was taken from the interior of what is probably the best-know research vessel in the world. For it was with the “Calypso” that diving pioneer, inventor, film producer and underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau travelled the Seven Seas for almost half a century. No other marine researcher provided us with such an exciting and informative insight into the secrets of the deep as the “Commandant”. Cousteau exploited his worldwide popularity to draw attention early on to the dangers facing the world’s oceans. The Cousteau Society, which her founded, is committed to protecting the oceans and, among other things, preserving tropical coral reefs. The non-profit organization works under the auspices of UNESCO and has been cooperating with IWC since 2004. Part of the proceeds from your watch will go to the Cousteau Society.

“The only real home I have is Calypso”, was how Cousteau once described the affection he felt for the vessel. So whenever you wear your “Cousteau Divers” in future, you will be carrying a small piece of Cousteau’s home with you. It will perhaps remind you that there is still a rich seam of mystery, above and below water, to discover, research and preserve for future generations. With your purchase of this watch, you have made a contribution to just that.

An explorer in his element

The red woollen cap, the weather-beaten face and the striking nose: those were the characteristic features of the affable commander of the “Calypso”, familiar to us all from around 120 documentaries and 80 books. The secret of his success: in everything he did, Jacques-Yves Cousteau was in his element – the ocean. As a child, he was already exploring the sea around Marseilles; at ten, he undertook his first diving attempts. At twenty, he joined the French navy, where he served for 36 years and finished up a commander. He remained faithful to the sea even during the Second World War and filmed shipwrecks at the bottom of the Mediterranean for reconnaissance purposes.

At that time, divers had to wear heavy suits that were connected to the surface with an air tube. However, Cousteau was dreaming of diving equipment that would allow him to move freely underwater for hours at a time. In 1943, together with engineer Emile Gagnan, he developed the first compressed air system, the Aqualung. In 1947, using this device, he set up a world record for free diving of 91.5 metres.

In 1950, the Irish brewer, Lord Guinness, presented him with a former British minesweeper. Cousteau set to work converting it into a research ship – the “Calypso” – and undertook expeditions to the Red Sea, the St. Lawrence and Antarctica. Numerous books and documentaries resulted from these voyages. The fantastic images from the “Secrets of the Deep” enchanted viewers worldwide. In 1956, Cousteau received the Golden Palm for his film, “World of Silence”, in Cannes. “World without sun” won an Oscar in 1964. Following an eight month trip into the Amazon in 1983/84, Cousteau reported back on the dangers facing the Brazilian rain forest.

In his capacity as Director of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco and in the course of extensive journeys of discovery, Cousteau – by now a world-famous marine biologist – became increasingly aware of the threat posed by mankind to the world’s oceans. He became a committed champion of the underwater world and, with his talent for effective public relations, an advocate of the oceans. In 1960, he managed to prevent the projected sinking of radioactive waste in the Mediterranean. In 1974, he founded the Cousteau Society in the US. He addressed the UN on several occasions and finally succeeded in having Antarctica declared an international protection zone. In 1992, he submitted a petition “For the rights of future generations”, bearing more that nine million signatures, to Rio de Janeiro’s Earth Summit. Jacques-Yves Cousteau received many awards for his efforts, including the UN International Environment Prize.

In 1996, the legendary “Calypso” sank in Singapore harbour. Only a year later, on 25 June 1997, Jacques-Yves Cousteau died in Paris at the age of 87. To this day, the Commandant’s legacy has lost none of its validity or immediacy.

Cooperation with passion

“Mankind protects and sustains the things he loves”: the Cousteau Society and IWC are deeply committed to this famous motto, coined by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The watch company was the first partner from industry welcomed aboard by the Society, now managed by the Commandant’s widow, Francine Cousteau. Apart from their belief in sustainability, both partners share a passion for diving that goes back many years. As early in the 1960’s, when Cousteau’s films were helping to make scuba-diving increasingly popular, IWC developed its first Aquatimer watch.

In 2004, fifty years after Cousteau’s famous voyage with the “Calypso” to the coral reefs of the Red Sea, IWC financed a new expedition to the old dive sites. The direct comparison enabled the researchers to scientifically research and record on the film changes in the underwater biotope.

The Cousteau Society has taken upon itself the task of understanding and protecting the world’s waterways and oceans. To date, only 0.1 percent of the ocean has been biologically examined. This fragile underwater paradise is at risk from increasing water pollution, global warming, over-fishing and mass scuba-diving. There remains much to be done. And IWC Schaffhausen will continue to stand by the Cousteau Society as a reliable partner in the future.