Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen attends the UCLA IoES honors Barbra Streisand and Gisele Bundchen at the 2019 Hollywood for Science Gala.

Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bündchen has just added a new title to her résumé and it covers a topic that’s near and dear to her heart: environmental and community projects advisor of the International Watch Company Schaffhausen (commonly known as IWC Schaffhausen.) The announcement comes at the same time the Richmont-backed brand released its 2022 Sustainability Report detailing its environmental targets.

The Swiss watch company has been a leader in luxury watchmaking since 1868 and has committed to improving sustainable efforts within the last 10 years. Another reason it hits close to home for the model is because Bündchen’s husband, Tom Brady, has a long-term relationship with the company making her new endeavor not only a personal triumph but a family affair. 

“I feel like I’m one with nature. It’s like my first love, it’s just who I am, Gisele tells GQ in an interview. “I’m a very curious person and love to learn. It’s always good to learn from people who are doing things the right way, because that’s how we grow.”

Besides her marital ties to IWC, the eco-friendly gig isn’t the supermodel’s first sustainable-focused role. She served as the executive producer on the Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground about regenerative agriculture, and in 2020 she launched the Viva a Vida initiative that raised enough funds to plant 260,000 trees in the Amazon Rainforest. That same year she also celebrated her 40th birthday by planting 40,000 trees. 

To top it all off, Bündchen also holds the title of Goodwill’s Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program since 2009, engaging with causes that advocate for biodiversity and wildlife, and she puts her money where her mouth is with charitable ties with Save the Children, Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders.

When asked what attracted her to this new role, the eco-conscious model replied, “I’m most excited about learning from IWC, all the different things that they’re doing and also the things that I’ve learned that, hopefully, can contribute and help them do better.”

“With Gisele, we have someone who shares our purpose and determination to impact real change on the environment and society,” says Franziska Gsell, the chief marketing officer and sustainability committee chair for IWC Schaffhausen. “We at IWC have always held ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to playing our part to preserve the world for future generations and Gisele’s experience, dedication and global reach will help to open up new possibilities for us to positively impact the environment and communities around the world.”

In the interview she detailed what sets IWC apart and for her, it’s the longterm thinking of caring for what one already owns. “What is amazing about IWC is that you can have a watch that is 100 years old that belonged to your grandfather. They will fix it. You bring it to an IWC store – tell me a business that does that? For them, of course they could sell you a new watch if you want a new watch, but it’s amazing how they’re like, ‘No, we are committed to something that lasts forever. We want you to have this watch that belonged to your grandfather.’ That shows you the real intention of the company, and I think that’s rare.”