LIGHT OF HOPE
Equipped with ever-glowing light and uncompromising endurance, Luminox braves the extreme conditions of Iceland in support of the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR)
THE LAND OF FIRE AND ICE
A barren island located in the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is known for being plagued for centuries with volatile arctic winds and freezing winters. The nation‘s constant exposure to the harsh forces of nature has on many occasions cost the uninitiated and the inexperienced their lives.
It is both home to some of the largest glaciers in Europe, as well as the world’s most active volcanoes ‒ the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe in April 2010. At the same time, it is also the land of long summer days with near 24 hours of sunshine, and short winter days with only a few hours of daylight.
The ICE-SAR roots are in the long and complex tug of war between man and nature. Avalanches, shipwrecks, storms, eruptions, earthquakes and sub-zero winters have forged a strong force of volunteers ‒ considering that Iceland is a country with no professional army - who dedicate themselves to helping both fellow citizens and a rapidly growing number of foreign visitors in the moment of need.
Founded in 1928, ICE-SAR has grown from small groups of selfless individuals to an indomitable force of over 90 teams made up of more than 8,000 dedicated volunteers, all of whom have undergone 18 months of training, passionately driving accident prevention and Search and Rescue programmes in Iceland carried on its tradition till this day.
LUMINOX: A PARTNER IN NEED
As a proud patron of the Navy SEALs and real-life heroes, Luminox has announced its official partnership with ICESAR. Over the years, Luminox watches have proven their reliability on all sea, air, and land dimensions. In addition to ice, heavy rain and strong winds, ICE-SAR also has to deal with limited daylight visibility as Iceland endures partial or total darkness across several months during winter. In such conditions, Luminox watches and their unique self-powered illumination system truly becomes an essential gear to ICESAR teams in order to conduct their missions.
“Collaborating with ICE-SAR is a natural evolution and a perfect fit for Luminox - a brand already trusted and requested by so many professionals around the world”, said Bernd Stadlwieser, CEO at Mondaine Watch Ltd. “ICESAR rescuers are operating in extreme conditions, and we are proud that they have chosen Luminox as their official partner.” ICE-SAR CEO Jón Svanberg Hjartarson responded, “We are honoured to have an international and prestigious partner such as Luminox. Their watches are tough, light and perfectly fitted for the Icelandic weather”. He added, “We, at ICE-SAR, are not heroes ‒ we are ordinary people doing extraordinary work. Volunteers may join ICE-SAR for the action and the adrenaline - but first and foremost because they share the vision of helping others. “
At Baselworld 2018, courtesy of Luminox, we had the honour of speaking to Freyr Ingi Bjornsson, lead instructor of mountaineering rescue and first responder at ICE-SAR, and his colleague, Rakel Osk, to better understand the partnership and their unwavering endeavor.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
Forged in “Fire and Ice” are the Icelanders, many of whom have made Search and Rescue a way of life. Joining them in their noble cause is Luminox, as official partner of the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescuse (ICE-SAR); ICE-SAR’s Rakel Osk at Baselworld 2018, giving her personal insight into the utilitarian nature of the Luminox watch and Luminox CEO
Bernd Stadlwieser; (From right) ICE-SAR heroes Freyr Ingi Bjornsson and Rakel Osk, with fellow voluntary rescuers, basking in their official partnership with Luminox
What are the common hazards that people are unaware of when trekking the breathtaking landscapes of Iceland?
F: We have all sorts of mountain really. Big glaciers, big ice caps, volcanoes, etc.
R: Sometimes the mountains might not seem all that high, but what’s risky is the weather. We’ve rescued people who had fallen through the crevices in the glaciers. It can be quite a big mission to get them out sometimes.
What does it take to become a qualified ICE-SAR volunteer?
R: To become an ICE-SAR member, you have to undergo at least 18 months of training. Then you can choose to continue with more advanced training to become an expert in the field.
F: This includes avalanche rescue, rope rescue and a lot of climbing.
What are the common mistakes made by people exploring the outdoors? F: I think the most common is when people don’t plan for the unexpected, for when things go wrong. We recommend that you at least inform someone about your trip before heading out, always keep track of the time, and equip yourself with a strong communication device. I have to say, more often than not, the phone’s battery dies on you when you need it the most, so you really have to pay close attention to that and switch it to airplane or sleep mode, or off it completely to conserve energy. In Iceland, we have the 112 emergency app, where you can leave a trail of check-in points, and when you hit the red button, your phone will send out an emergency signal.
Tell us about your partnership with Luminox, and how it aids you in your missions?
R: Luminox came upon us when they were looking for partners who could be a good fit for its Land collection, and what we do happens to fit the bill. Seeing that we are a voluntary organisation, we thought we could use the funding and this could be the start of a good relationship.
Often our rescue missions are carried out under harsh conditions, but in Luminox we’ve discovered some truly tried-and-tested watches to aid us in our missions.
We have many long, dark winter nights that can easily cause one to lose track of time, but the Luminox watch is always visible and very tough, on which we can rely to accurately tell us the time, whenever, wherever. In addition, the watch is both inspired by and designed for the environment, so the screen, for example, is scratchresistant, and the watch feels super light on the wrist.
What I personally like most about Luminox is its robust nature, and that you don’t really have to think more about it; it just stays on and does its job.
F:
R:
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Despite the high risk, many of you continue to put your life on the line and run to the rescue of fallen victims. What keeps you committed to your cause?
R: It feels good to have a purpose in life. Part of our Icelandic culture is to help each other.
F: It’s important to know that there are so few of us in Iceland, so you tend to know each other a lot more and form close bonds. So if one of us gets into trouble today, the others will immediately come to our rescue ‒ that’s our culture. It’s the strong bond and the close knit the community has fostered that keep us going, bringing us even closer.
LUMINOX TO THE RESUE:
THE ICE-SAR 1000 ARCTIC SERIES
As a first step in this long-term collaboration, Luminox has engineered watches made to endure the harshest Icelandic weather conditions. Consisting of five models, the ICE-SAR 1000 Arctic series is 200m water-resistant and comes with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. The Carbonox casing allows extreme robustness and ultra-light weight during the rescue missions while the Luminox Lighting Technology (LLT) guarantees ultimate night vision to ICESAR teams up to 25 years.
The ICE-SAR 1000 Arctic series sports several exciting features including a 60-minute scale on the bezel, and a variety of innovative strap options ranging from fabric, rubber and velcro depending on models. Inspired by the volcanic landscapes of Iceland, the hard sandblasted dial of the 1000 Arctic series is a direct interpretation of the lava fields that cover 30% of the country.
The shape of all three hands is inspired by the carabiners that ICE-SAR rescuers use in their missions. On the blue and black/red models, the conventional index 12 has been replaced by 112, the common emergency phone number, in an eye-catching red colour. The shape of the ICE-SAR logo with its perforated circle - is the source of inspiration for the bezel. All models also include an ICE-SAR logo marking on the stainless steel caseback.
90TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION
In celebration of ICE-SAR’s 90th anniversary, Luminox has created a limited edition of 900 pieces of its ICE-SAR 1000 Arctic series, individually numbered on the steel case-back. It comes in blue and red, derived from the colours of the Icelandic national flag. At 9 o’clock, the index 9 has been replaced by a commemorative “90 years” marking. The limited edition model also features on its dial the ICE-SAR logo, which contains a meaningful story. The four arrows pointing to the inside of the logo reflect the inner strength of the association, with the circle alluding to the lifebuoy - a symbol of rescue together with the cross, which happens to
Luminox ICE-SAR 1000 Arctic Series