Bausele was honored to be commissioned to create the official limited edition timepiece of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games The Hague 2020.

The Invictus Games Story

Most of us will never know the full horrors of combat. Many servicemen and women suffer life changing injuries, visible or otherwise, whilst serving their country. How do these men and women find the motivation to move on and not be defined by their injuries?

On a trip to the Warrior Games in the USA in 2013, HRH The Duke of Sussex saw first-hand how the power of sport can help physically, psychologically and socially those suffering from injuries and illness. He was inspired by his visit and the Invictus Games was born.

The word ‘Invictus’ means ‘unconquered’. It embodies the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and personifies what these tenacious men and women can achieve post injury. The Games harness the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country.

The Invictus Games is about much more than just sport – it captures hearts, challenges minds and challenges lives. It certainly captured the heart of Bausele CEO Arron Coote, as attending the Games led him to reach out to the US Army to set up a watch program to help veterans in need.

The Bausele Invictus Games Watch

Bausele founder and designer Christophe Hoppé wanted to create a watch that captured the unconquered spirit of the athletes at games, paid homage to The Netherlands as the host nation, and the Invictus Games as an amazing organization. It was incredibly important to him to create a watch that meant something more than the timepiece itself.

Of course the jewel in the hollow crown of all Bausele watches would be a key way for Christophe to link something meaningful to the wearer. To enhance that connection between the watch and the games, Christophe worked with The Royal Dutch Mint who were commissioned to provide the winner’s medals for the 2020 games.  The Royal Dutch Mint agreed to provide some of the granules from the making of the winners medals for the games which Christophe then inserted into the hollow display crown. Now everyone who owned a Bausele Invictus Games watch would be a winner.

The bold numbers at 4, 8 and 12 in The Netherlands country Orange and the Yellow Tulip Invictus Games The Hague logo at 6 represent an acknowledgement to the host nation and organization respectively. To further tie the watch to the games a quote from the timeless and beautiful poem “Invictus” poem originally published in 1888 by William Ernst Henley, himself also an amputee is engraved on the
case back to remind the wearer that “they are the captains of their fate, they are the masters of their soul”.