Thomas Mercer is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines on the creation of a one-off marine chronometer specifically made for Antarctic Endurance 2016 - an expedition taking place in the Southern Ocean to retrace and celebrate the centenary of Shackleton’s hazardous voyage of survival on the James Caird.

IN THE WAKE OF SHACKLETON: THE ANTARCTIC ENDURANCE 2016 EXPEDITION

Under the patronage of HRH Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, Antarctic Endurance 2016 is a 2-year research programme looking at team dynamics and performance, centred on a 6-week sailing and mountaineering expedition to the Antarctic and South Georgia in January and February 2016.

A fitting tribute to the heroic exploits in the Antarctic of Shackleton and his team, this imaginative, invaluable and unique exercise will be led by RN Commander Tim Winter and RM Major Tony Lancashire - respectively Team and Deputy Leader of the expedition - and includes six Royal Navy and Royal Marine servicemen and -women in the first five years of their career. On the 20th of January, the team departed from Port Stanley in the Falklands, then took passage into the Weddell Sea, and made landings on the East coast of the Antarctic Peninsula for environmental and hydrographic research. After this preliminary stage the team navigated to Elephant Island whence they are setting sail to King Haakon Bay and then mountain-crossing to Stromness in South Georgia, thus re-enacting the greatest small boat journey of all time. After this twin feat, the voyage will then conclude on the 28th of February with the return to Port Stanley.

ANTARCTIC ENDURANCE AND THOMAS MERCER: THE PARTNERSHIP

Its heritage inextricably linked with the epic 1916 James Caird voyage of survival, Thomas Mercer is sponsoring the expedition by providing a one-off marine chronometer specifically designed to navigate with astronomical techniques, giving the team the opportunity to relive, with maximum authenticity, the same sailing experience as that endured by Shackleton and his crew a century earlier.

Tim Winter: “We are delighted to welcome Thomas Mercer as supporter of the Antarctic Endurance 2016 and to use their unique expedition chronometer onboard the yacht to conduct astronomical navigation alongside modern techniques. That Shackleton and Worsley relied on a Thomas Mercer Chronometer to navigate to safety a century earlier makes this particularly remarkable.”

Alessandro Quintavalle adds: “Thomas Mercer is proud to be involved in the Antarctic Endurance 2016, a fantastic project which will inspire and educate a new generation of sailors and marines and also celebrate the centenary of the James Caird voyage, the greatest small boat journey of all time. With a heritage featuring the attribute “Maker to the Admiralty”, it is always a profound honour to provide the Royal Navy with marine chronometers and thus reinforce a relationship that has endured for two centuries. We sincerely wish the Antarctic Endurance team the best of success in this ambitious undertaking.”

XPLORE: A BRITISH YACHT TO SAIL ROUND THE WORLD

Built by English shipyard Devonport, Xplore is a Challenge 67' Class, a yacht provably among the strongest and most seaworthy monohulls ever to have raced around the world. Designed for Global Challenge racing, it has a legendary reputation for performance in difficult conditions, and this strength and ability make it ideal for high latitudes as well as giving exceptional access to many otherwise unreachable places. Constructed of HSLA (high-strength low alloy) steel, 67 ft (20.42 metres) long, this fast, heavy-weather sailing yacht is a byword for durability in ice and rock-strewn regions.

AN EXPEDITION MARINE CHRONOMETER FOR HEAVY-SEAS EXPLORATION

The Antarctic Endurance marine chronometer is a newly-designed unit suitable for heavy-seas navigation. For this special occasion, Thomas Mercer draws from its rich legacy the inspiration to create a unique timekeeper and re-introduces the distinctive “trawler suspension” a solution invented to withstand the quick and violent motion of fishing vessels. In 1910 the hands-on Frank Mercer took a trip on an Icelandic trawler to experience himself the turbulent conditions suffered by a chronometer in the Northern Seas. After three weeks of testing in different positions and conditions, he designed a new suspension with a shock-absorbing device formed using a frame supporting the gimbals by means of one bottom spring and a set of four radial springs. This inimitable Thomas Mercer proprietary technology is now reintroduced specially for the Antarctic Endurance expedition. In addition to the special gimbals, the chronometer boasts a solid frame in AISI 316 stainless steel veneered with elegant smoked eucalyptus timber. The same finish is extended to its dial that features the logos of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The Antarctic Endurance 2016 logo engraved on the base plates completes this truly one-of-a-kind British timekeeper.