Round-UpA Symbiotic Relationship: Watch Brands And Their Important ‘Friends’
They are powerful individuals with influential voices and a massive fan following. People love to read about them, and the kind of change they can bring about in society is unprecedented. Perhaps that’s why partnerships of such nature are valuable in the luxury watchmaking industry where the stakes are high, and staying ahead of the curve is mandatory. We look at some of the top watchmakers and their criteria for signing on these ‘friends of the brand’
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At the beginning of the year, tennis ace and world champion, Naomi Osaka joined the hallowed ranks among TAG Heuer’s impressive list of illustrious brand ambassadors that includes football star, Cristiano Ronaldo; athlete Sydney McLaughlin; the dashing actor and motor racer, Patrick Dempsey; and golfer and five-time European Tour winner, Tommy Fleetwood, among others. In fact recently, the Swiss maker also announced their partnership with Hollywood heart-throb, Ryan Gosling, best known for his brooding looks and films such as The Notebook, Drive, and the Oscar-nominated La La Land.
In February, the 23-year-old Osaka dismissed her opponent Jennifer Brady in straight sets to lift the Australian Open trophy—the fourth Grand Slam title of her career. While she excels on-court, her achievements are not just limited to the game, and the Japanese athlete is also recognised as a social activist, determined to shape a better world and use her influence to ignite conversation globally. Passionately committed to the game, she has always stepped up to defend what she believes in as was evident in her support towards the Black Lives Matter movement, last year at the US Open.
And this year too, she minced no words at the Roland Garros tournament where she stood up for preserving her mental health, wanting the officials to take notice that athletes, too, are humans and may have trouble navigating the low phases. This came to a point where she willingly withdrew from the French Open. But that didn’t stop her from competing at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, where her wrist companion was an Aquaracer on a white strap complementing her fiery red attire and matching braids. According to TAG Heuer, it’s these qualities—on and off the court—that make her the ‘right fit’ for the Swiss luxury player. Through her impressive accomplishments on the court, Osaka boldly expresses the maison’s founding values: passion for action, high performance, mental strength, and an avant-garde spirit.
“We are very proud to have Naomi join the TAG Heuer family. Her athletic record and commitment to excellence are outstanding but even more impressive is her passionate spirit and drive for advocacy which is an inspiration to so many,” said Frédéric Arnault, CEO, TAG Heuer, in an official statement when Osaka came on board. In fact, when she withdrew from the French Open, she found support from many renowned personalities from the sporting community—one of them being swimmer and world-record holder, Michael Phelps, who also happens to share a long, 17-year-old association with Omega. The American swimmer is the most decorated Olympian of all time with an impressive 28-medal tally to his credit. He, too, in the past has been quite vocal about battling depression and is actively involved with organisations that help people deal with mental health issues, apart from promoting healthier lifestyles.
Michael Phelps, shares a long, 17-year-old association with Omega. The American swimmer is the most decorated Olympian of all time with an impressive 28-medal tally to his creditSo, when one looks at these ‘friends of the brand’ one thing is crystal clear—their achievements surpass their immediate area of expertise and trickle down to other aspects of life, in a bid to give back to society. While the star power that they command is undeniable, the way they use this influence to create a positive impact on people is what brands are looking for. This also brings us to the question, are brand ambassadors necessary and shouldn’t the product be the true face of the brand? After all, most would be concerned that having a celebrity may take the spotlight away from the real thing—the timepiece. But brands are careful and over the years have worked on ingenious ways to send forth this message. As a luxury player, you cannot be too in-your-face with the messaging and at the same time not be completely absent from the grid. While having a strong product is the key to success, a little push from public figures with a massive following can go a long way. That’s a primary reason for luxury brands to have hefty marketing budgets. But this is not one-sided. The celebrities aren’t simply pushing the products out there. In the process, they are also building more credibility with the kind of brands they choose to endorse based on their mottos, values, principles and the best practices in business. Let’s look at some of the legendary partnerships and why they are important for these haute horlogerie brands.
Omega: The Sign Of Excellence
Omega have always strived for excellence and truly live by this motto. While the swimming champion Michael Phelps has been associated with them since 2004, it’s not that the brand brought him on board to build on their success. Omega’s association with the sport began back in 1932, when, for the first time, a single company was entrusted with the official timekeeping for all disciplines at the Olympic Games—including swimming. The brand’s unwavering commitment to precision so impressed FINA—the governing body of aquatic sports around the world—that in 1973, they were asked to serve as ‘official timekeeper’ at the federation’s first ever world championship. Besides timing the most important swimming events in the last several decades, Omega have been pioneering the development of the sport’s key timekeeping technologies—from the world’s first semi-automatic timing device with a digital display to the present generation of hi-tech timers. In fact, Phelps recently visited the Omega showcase during the Tokyo Olympics and feels he is not just a ‘friend’ but a ‘relative’ of the brand. “Omega has been with me for two decades and through all of my gold medals. It’s a family,” says the Olympics veteran, who, for a change will be witnessing the games as a spectator this year. During his visit, Phelps wore the Seamaster Diver 300M Tokyo 2020—the brand’s tribute to the event.
Panerai: Charting A Different Course
For a brand that has been associated with dive timers and watches made for choppy waters, it was a bit of a surprise when they announced their decision to sign on cricketing legend and former captain of team India, MS Dhoni. Also known as ‘Captain Cool’, Dhoni has always remained calm under the most intense situations, often taking India to victory. He swears by the motto, ‘Forget fear, do something different’, exhibited in his exceptional wicket-keeping abilities that have made for some very exciting matches, and he holds the world record for the highest number of stumpings by any wicket-keeper. Perhaps this is what the brand values most in their ambassadors—the quality of keeping calm, and carrying on, much like their watches, which are built to withstand some of the most extreme conditions, whether on land or at sea.
This is also evident in their association with world champion freediver Guillaume Néry, who collaborated with Panerai, three years ago and has been raising awareness about environmental issues with his filmmaking projects. “The passion for exploration and innovation is my quest when I am freediving. And that has been in the brand’s DNA since its inception,” Néry told The Watch Guide in an interview earlier this year. “The major motivation driving Panerai is to create the best products, and I, too, strive for the best in terms of my projects—whether it’s shooting a film or exploring an underwater site.”
Hublot: Celebrating The Avant-Garde Spirit
Hublot have been pioneers in the use of new materials in watchmaking, whether it’s the use of coloured ceramic, sapphire crystal, or their experiments with titanium or gold alloys. Being one of the youngest watch brands on the top, they have established themselves in the big league in a short span of time, thanks to their avant-garde spirit, which makes them an unstoppable force to reckon with.
The brand have tied up with various sports personalities, artists and public figures who are changing society’s landscape in their own unique way. “At Hublot, we create innovative, audacious and unique watches. Over the years, our collaborative approach with industry leaders, athletes and personalities has driven the creation of truly groundbreaking products,” says the dynamic CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe. The Art of Fusion principle is at the heart of all their products, and also applies to their collaborations, which explains the brand’s deep and diverse portfolio of partnerships. These include ace sprinter Usain Bolt, who has often sported their Big Bang watches; and golfer Dustin Johnson, one of the most gifted sportspersons, who loves the Big Bang chronographs and also the Classic Fusion chronographs—which he has worn on the course during several competitions.
Hublot are also connected to cricket, and are doing some exceptional work in partnership with former England cricketer, Kevin Pietersen and his platform SORAI—Save Our Rhino Africa India—to preserve rhinoceroses threatened with extinction. This commitment takes the form of the Big Bang Unico SORAI, from which a large portion of the funds raised from sales are directly paid to Care for Wild, for the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned baby rhinoceroses. The brand launched the second limited-edition timepiece in May that is associated with this cause. “On the ground, every day is a battle, a race against time by the teams of dedicated specialists who rescue, rehabilitate, and release these rhinos back into the wild. We don’t want to lose one of the Big Five, not for us but for our children’s children. We therefore need to put our common efforts to protect this species,” Pietersen expresses. “I am very happy that Hublot are once again able to provide their support to SORAI, to help raise maximum awareness of this global emergency.”
TAG Heuer: Not Cracking Under Pressure
Known for their long-standing association with motorsports that have inspired many of their iconic creations, TAG Heuer is one brand that have consistently evolved their vast universe of brand ambassadors. It is perhaps one of the few brands that have understood the power of getting their watches on the right wrists, to build a cult following. One of the icons synonymous with the brand is the celebrated late American actor, Steve McQueen. Known as the ‘King of Cool’, McQueen was quite a petrolhead and an adrenaline junkie, off-screen as well, and sported a TAG Heuer Monaco in the 1971 classic, Le Mans, which took the racing world by storm.
With big shoes to fill in, the brand partnered with actor Patrick Dempsey in 2015, who’s best known for his role as Dr Derek ‘McDreamy’ Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy, the long-running medical-drama series. An avid race car driver as well, Dempsey is always ready to take on any challenge. Even with his busy schedule as actor, athlete and philanthropist, he has competed in prestigious racing events such as the Le Mans and the Daytona race. It’s this passion for racing that makes him the perfect partner for the Swiss maison, even becoming the face of certain collections, such as Autavia. He has often been spotted wearing the TAG Heuer Monaco, the Autavia or the Carrera timepieces during public appearances.
IWC: Engineered For Supreme Precision
The Schaffhausen-based brand are known for their highly precise timekeeping instruments, which are beautiful inside-out. With their primary focus on mechanical engineering that’s applied to watchmaking, it comes as no surprise that the brand share a close relationship with the automobile world—and became the ‘Official Engineering Partner’ of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in 2013. This is also when British racing champion, Lewis Hamilton became a prominent face of the brand. His incredible pace and prodigious talent has seen him scale the career ladder at lightning speed. His career reached even greater heights in 2020, as he broke numerous records, even surpassing Michael Schumacher’s number of Grands Prix wins before matching the German’s tally of titles with a seventh Drivers’ Championship. But success has not come easy and being the first and only black driver to race in Formula One, Hamilton has faced racial abuse throughout his career, and advocates for equality within the sport. Apart from this, he is also involved in promoting human and animal rights as well as environmental welfare and is associated with the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Save the Children foundation. During their partnership, IWC have dedicated various special editions to celebrate his achievements such as the Ingenieur Chronograph Edition Lewis Hamilton in a titanium case limited to 250 pieces. “Lewis deserves our deepest respect for his achievements, not only on the track but also as a driver of change. As we strive to become a more inclusive organisation in line with our ongoing commitment to sustainability and responsibility, we are proud to partner with Lewis who embodies these values,” states Franziska Gsell, CMO and sustainability committee chair, IWC.
Breitling: On A Sustainable Mission
Known for their expertise in dive watches with the Superocean line, Breitling refers to its ambassadors as ‘Squad members’, who reflect the dynamic values of the brand in terms of action, purpose, and their pioneering spirit. They also share the brand’s commitment to maintaining clean oceans and beaches and American surfing legend, Kelly Slater is part of this mission. Breitling have also enhanced their environmental engagement with a partnership with Outerknown—a sustainable apparel manufacturer, co-founded by Slater. In 2017, Breitling redesigned their Superocean Heritage line to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their legendary diver’s watch that was created for professional deep-sea divers. As part of this, the brand launched the Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 Outerknown—an ode to the partnership with Kelly Slater. The watch’s highlight is a single-piece strap crafted from ECONYL—a patented yarn that’s made from nylon waste such as fishing nets retrieved from the ocean.
Jaeger-LeCoultre: Making A Classic Yet Cool Statement
He popularised the fictional character based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books, when he essayed the role of the idiosyncratic detective, Sherlock in the popular BBC series. It’s not that the role had not been adapted for the television or the big screen earlier, but Benedict Cumberbatch took it up a notch with his riveting performance, in this modern-day interpretation. Known for his contributions to film, theatre and TV, the British actor joined Jaeger-LeCoultre as a ‘Friend of the maison’, in 2018 with his first appearance at SIHH that year. The actor, who also plays Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had the opportunity to participate in a private watchmaking masterclass at the brand’s London flagship boutique where he experienced the complexity and the legitimacy of Jaeger‑LeCoultre’s timepieces. “The watchmaker shared his expertise with me with enthusiasm. Delicate operations require hours and hours of minute manipulation, from engraving and hand-chamfering to enamelling, gem-setting, guilloche and mirror-polishing. Precision in the workmanship is everything,” said Cumberbatch after the session. And he was completely floored when he visited the manufacture, and witnessed all the intensive manual work behind crafting timeless classics. Of course, perfection recognises perfection, and here the twain did meet! He has been spotted wearing a number of elegant timepieces including the Reverso, but of late it’s the Polaris Mariner collection that has got him hooked onto its cool-and-classy sports watch aesthetic.
With all said and done, celebrities and luxury watch brands have built a healthy ecosystem, where they thrive off each other’s achievements to contribute to a greater cause—which is to give back to the society and not simply rest on their laurels. Because as the adage goes, you’re only as good as your last success!
Shop The Story
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TAG Heuer Aquaracer
WAY201P.FT6178
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Omega Seamaster
210.30.42.20.03.001
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Panerai Submersible
PAM00982
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Hublot Classic Fusion
521.NX.7071.LR
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Hublot Classic Fusion
521.CO.1181.RX
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Hublot Classic Fusion
521.NX.7170.LR
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TAG Heuer Autavia
WBE5116.FC8266
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TAG Heuer Autavia
WBE5114.EB0173
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IWC Pilot’s Watches
IW503605
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Breitling Superocean Heritage
M133132A1C1W1
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris
Q9068180
