DIALED IN Horological News
WEMPE CHRONOMETER SAILS THE GLOBE
Fred Buyle
IN MARCH AT THE WEMPE Fifth Avenue Boutique in New York, the Hamburg-based retailer and
watchmaker presented sailor Istvan Kopar with a Wempe Maritime Unified Chronometer and a
ship’s barometer for use aboard his yacht in the 2018 Golden Globe Race. The race, which kicks
off July 1 in France, is a nonstop circumnavigation around the world. Modern electrical devices
such as GPS, satellite communication and weather forecasting, are not permitted aboard par-
ticipants’ yachts. Thus, Captain Kopar will solely be relying on his Wempe timepiece and devices
to navigate. In 1991, Kopar completed his first solo circumnavigation. This year’s race marks the
50th anniversary of the Golden Globe competition, and with Wempe’s support, he is looking to
complete this journey once again.
ULYSSE NARDIN PARTNERS WITH
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER
ULYSSE NARDIN HAS TEAMED WITH free diver
and photographer Fred Buyle, who has spent
most of the last three decades beneath the sur-
face of the seas capturing images in the watery
depths with just a camera, available light and one
breath of air.
Without disrupting the fragile marine envi-
ronment, Buyle uses his artistic background
to capture little-seen animals of the deep on
film, tagging them for biologists in the process.
Belgian-born Buyle is specialized in capturing
images of sharks in their natural habitats, without
a protective cage, diving freely with species such
as hammerheads and even great white sharks. To
accompany Buyle into the ocean depths, Ulysse
Nardin has created the Diver Deep Dive, the firm’s
newest dive watch, which is water resistant to
1,000 meters.
INDUSTRY NEWS
GEOFFROY LEFEBVRE, CURRENTLY DEPUTY
CHIEF Executive Officer of Jaeger-LeCoultre, will
take the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Baume
& Mercier, effective June 1, while Catherine
Alix-Rénier will leave Van Cleef & Arpels in Asia
to become the worldwide director of Jaeger-
LeCoultre, effective May 1. Former Baume &
Mercier CEO Alain Zimmermann will take over
the role of director of e-distribution of all watch
Richemont brands starting June 1.
22 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2018
Istvan Kopar
iWMAGAZINE .COM