The challenge

Today, over 40 sites are inscribed on the World Heritage List specifically for their exceptional marine values. They are considered the “Crown Jewels of the Ocean” and cover about a quarter by area of all 6,000 marine protected areas on the planet. Multiple stressors are threatening the conservation of exceptional marine sites throughout the world. Inscription on the World Heritage List is only one step toward safeguarding these marine treasures for future generations. It is crucial to ensure that all marine sites have an effective management system in place that adequately protects their outstanding universal value.

The response

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s commitment to sustainable development and the preservation of the unique natural setting of regions that are home to many rare and endangered plant or animal species is expressed through its long-standing partnership with the World Heritage Centre. The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer has initiated activities with the Centre to raise awareness about marine conservation and assist with the preservation of these exceptional ocean places.

Actions on the ground

In 2008, Jaeger-LeCoultre and their media partner, the International Herald Tribune (IHT) created a media campaign – called "Tides of Time" – designed to protect exceptional natural marine sites by raising awareness about them. Eight times a year, the IHT prints a full-page supplement about the Marine World Heritage sites and the potential of the World Heritage Convention for ocean conservation. Interviews with site managers and their teams bring an international dimension to their day-to-day conservation challenges. A dedicated online element also runs on nytimes.com: the Tides of Time videos, interviews, and multimedia slideshows are presented through an interactive, expandable banner called a Nano-site. Through their communication network, Jaeger-LeCoultre regularly increases the visibility of World Heritage sites that need urgent action and initiates online auctions to raise funds to help those sites. To celebrate their partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Jaeger-LeCoultre created a unique watch, with the name “Tides of Time” engraved on the back, to be sold at auctions.

The Tides of Time print and on-line media campaign, sponsored by Jaeger-LeCoultre in the International Herald Tribune, offers exceptional visibility to the cause of conserving the marine World Heritage. Thanks to this partnership, this message has been able to reach an extremely wide public. In addition, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s financial contributions to the World Heritage Centre have allowed the recruitment of an ocean conservation specialist to manage the World Heritage Marine Programme. Annual auctions, organized by Jaeger-LeCoultre, have provided direct financial benefits to several World Heritage sites, including Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

About Jaeger-LeCoultre

Since 1833 Jaeger-LeCoultre has been manufacturing high-end timepieces in the Vallee de Joux, Switzerland. Guided by time-honored know-how and a constant quest for technical perfection, the master watchmakers and engineers in the Manufacture craft each and every watch with the same passion. Building on a vast heritage encompassing 1,231 calibres and 398 registered patents and iconic watches such as the legendary Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains the reference in high-end watchmaking.

About the International Herald Tribune

The International Herald Tribune (IHT) creates, collects and distributes world news, information, entertainment and opinion of the highest journalistic integrity. Read by opinion leaders and decision-makers, it is trusted and enjoyed in all corners of the globe.

The IHT, which will be rebranded as the International New York Times later this year, combines the extensive resources of its own correspondents with those of the Times. It continues to expand the reach of its authoritative journalism through the newspaper, which is printed at 40 sites throughout the world and is for sale in more than 160 countries and territories, on the Web, in App and on and mobile devices. Based in Paris since 1887, the IHT is owned by The New York Times Company.