IWC (Events - Product Launch)
Last
Tuesday, in Geneva, luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen immersed
itself in an exhibition, a lavish dinner and a party in honour of its
polished wares. Sat Bal witnessed Swiss precision and finesse in action.
(26 Jan'07)
The Event
The SIHH Watch Fair (19-24 Jan) set the scene for IWC Schaffhausen's product premiere. A wave of nautical blue theming (see headline image) took its cue from the Galapagos Islands and Schaffhausen's new generation of Aquatimer diver’s watches.
Guest profile
Celebrities
Kevin Spacey and Ronan Keating joined Georges Kern, CEO of IWC
Schaffhausen and Norbert Platt, CEO of Richemont at the sumptuous
dinner and party.
Other prominent guests included football legend Zinédine Zidane, Hollywood's Jean Reno and James Bond director Marc Forster. Zidane, Spacey and
Reno are known endorsees of IWC's slickly engineered watches.
They were joined by Marc Foster who, at the launch of the new Aquatimer range, keenly got the look and feel of IWC's diver's watches.
Below - Véronique Zidane and Zinédine Zidane
Highlight
Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey bounding onto the stage to perform to the sound of Supertramp at the IWC dinner.
Kevin Spacey performs with the band Crème Anglaise
As
the pictures show, Spacey's performances aren't just restricted to
film. At the dinner he made it clear that he's a Supertramp fan.
With the backing of Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell and his jazz spontaneously took the microphone
ensemble, the Hollywood actor
and performed two songs to a clearly enthusiastic
audience.
Exhibition
The imposing backdrop of the IWC stand at the trade fair evoked the underwater world of the Galapagos.
Large-screen, backlit natural photographs
further neatly conveyed the marine theme of the watches to the exhibition.
The Venue
The
Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva provided a fitting ambience and
an intimate setting for guests accustomed to luxuries like IWC's
watches. The venue welcomed guests at the close of the day with a
lively cocktail reception, a feast of a dinner buffet, bar and musical
entertainment.
The red carpet was eschewed for a less VIP, and more personal, interaction. This also promoted the intimacy of the venue and made for a more relaxed event.
Kulturzentrum BFM still retains its original machinery
and objects of the era. The historic decommissioned pump house in the
middle of the the River Rhone exemplifies the artifacts of technical
achievement and, together with fascinating lighting effects,
underscored the engineering that is much valued and utilised by the
event host, IWC.
RK
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