Carl F. Bucherer’s work with the UK-based charity the Manta Trust is a long-term partnership that first started in 2013. The watch brand has since created five special editions with a portion of the watches’ sales go to support the Manta Trust’s conservation efforts around the world.
Manta Trust Ecuador Manta Expedition 2023
Thanks to support from watch lovers worldwide, Carl F. Bucherer has funded a number of projects, including finding a critical migratory corridor for the manta rays, researching what they like to eat, creating a film providing educational guidelines about how to approach them, purchasing a research vessel for researchers, and funding a floating research platform.
The latest project to be fully funded by Carl F. Bucherer is the Manta Trust Ecuador Manta Expedition 2023. Teaming up with Proyecto Mantas Ecuador and other regional affiliates, this is the first collaborative project that the Manta Trust has worked on. The mission was to share data and collaborate on common research on a pan-regional level, as well as to standardize research methodologies and streamline efforts between organizations.
Oceanic Manta Rays
This was also the Manta Trust’s first expedition to Ecuador, where the waters around the uninhabited island of Isla de la Plata are home to the world’s largest aggregation of oceanic mantas. Little is known about these creatures, which are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The work of the Manta Trust and other organizations is dedicated to understanding them and their vulnerable habitat in order to better protect them.
Cleaning Stations
A team of 16 researchers from around the world joined local researchers from Proyecto Mantas Ecuador to explore underwater rock and coral outcrops that rise from the seabed and provide “cleaning stations” for the manta rays. It is here that small fish rise from the reef to remove parasites from the mantas’ mouths and gills and provide an opportunity for researchers to observe them.
Rising Sea Temperatures
Unfortunately, 2023 was a particularly strong El Nino year, resulting in water temperatures rising to 10 degrees Celsius above average. This discouraged the manta rays from visiting the site, resulting in no sightings during the expedition itself, proving how vulnerable the oceans are to climate change.
Luckily, researchers were able to install temperature sensors and time-lapse cameras nicknamed “The eyes of the reef” during their expedition. Now that the water temperature has dropped, manta rays are starting to return and this equipment is starting to bear its fruit. Local researchers have been able to deploy four acoustic tags and conduct two ultrasonic scans of pregnant females using an innovative ultrasound scanner.
A Beautiful Reminder
Carl F. Bucherer’s latest timepiece which continues to support this important cause is the Patravi Scuba Tec Verde. This is the fifth watch in the series which follows the Patravi ScubaTec Manta Trust, Black Manta, Black, and Maldives.
The Carl F. Bucherer Patravi Scuba Tec Verde is a dive watch with a water resistance of 500 meters. It features a screw-down crown, automatic helium valve, unidirectional timing bezel, and rubber strap crafted from recycled PET plastic. The dial comes in a shade of green that is the exact color of the Pacific Ocean just off Ecuador’s coast and is adorned with a wave pattern for an additional aquatic touch. Turn the watch over, and engravings of these majestic ocean manta rays adorn the case back as a reminder that time is ticking for these creatures and every watch sale helps.
