I call it ‘Watchstock.’
Over the past five years, the two-day WatchTime New York luxury watch event has grown into America’s largest luxury watch fair, with 37 brands targeting collectors and enthusiasts.
Watch lovers of all stripes — young, old, established, just starting out in their careers — you name it, they were all out in full force. But not all of them are Fabien Cousteau.
Cousteau, the grandson of legendary ocean explorer and documentary filmmaker Jacques Cousteau, has embraced his grandfather’s legacy and is following in his footsteps. But the younger Cousteau is not only an ocean explorer and filmmaker, but also a conservationist and founder of the nonprofit Ocean Learning Center.
And he’s also a huge watch fan, and not just because they look cool and it’s fun to geek out on mechanical movements. Cousteau is an ambassador for Prospex, the dive watch line for the massive Japanese watchmaker Seiko (8050.T).
Cousteau doesn’t just like the way the new Prospex LX wristwatch looks, he dives with it. Recent trips to Nicaragua, the frigid North Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, and the Aquarius Reef Base in Florida show he’s no slouch on the diving front.
“I’ve been a fan of the brand since I was a kid,” he says. “Prospex has always been an integral part of scuba diving,” Cousteau says, and having a mechanical watch that works when electronics might fail under extreme conditions, is a must.
In addition to his brand ambassadorship, Seiko also sponsors Cousteau’s Ocean Learning Center (OLC). The OLC focuses on public awareness, education and special projects. These activities and initiatives include beach cleanups, dive missions, coral reef and sea turtle restoration projects, as well as educational programs geared toward elementary school children all the way to the college students.
You can learn more about the Ocean Learning Center here.
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Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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