IWC AND ITS SKYHIGH 'TOP GUN' PARTY IN GENEVA

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST SUPERLATIVE, OUTSTANDING AND COVETED WATCHES, IWC IS LONG APPRECIATED BY COLLECTORS, CONNOISSEURS AND CASH RICH GAME CHANGERS.

EVERY YEAR IT HOLDS WHAT IS UNIVERSALLY AGREED AS THE BEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR PARTY AT SIHH THE WATCH FAIR FOR HIGH END, COSTLY AND INCREDIBLE WATCHES.

THIS YEAR, IWC PULLS OUT THE STOPS WHEN IT LAUNCHED ITS PILOT'S WATCHES, NOW SAID TO BE THE LAST WORD IN NE COLLECTIBLES. AS EXPECTED, NOT ONLY WAS CHAMPAGNE FLOWING LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW, IWC HAULED IN ITS FRIENDS AND FANS, ALL OF WHOM HAPPENED TO BE VERY RICH, FAMOUS AND BEAUTIFUL!

HERE ARE THE GRITTY DETIALS AND PICTURES;

Party central---the only missing was Tom Cruise, star in the blockbuster movie 'Top Gun'

Bet you never realised Ronan Keating looked so much like David Beckham!

Even indoors inside Geneva's Palexpo Hall, it was coldish as the stars were warmly wrapped; Ewan McGregor the star of Moulin Rouge, Ronan Keating,Marc Foster and IWC CEO Georges Kern

Top French footballer Zinedine Zidane, his wife Veronique Fernadez and Jose Maria Manzanares

Glam sexy model Adriana Lima

Julian Chong and Anita Yuen

As part of the
Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie
(SIHH), IWC Schaffhausen invited around
1,000 guests and journalists from all over the
world to the launch of its new Pilot’s Watch
collection in Geneva. Under the motto “TOP
GUN”, and in the presence of celebrities like
Cate Blanchett, Jean Reno, Ewan McGregor,
Ronan Keating, sporting legends Boris
Becker, Luís Figo and Zinédine Zidane as
well as top model Adriana Lima, guests enjoyed
an unforgettable gala evening rounded
off with a performance from the legendary
Bryan Ferry.

“Our aim this evening was to create an emotional
experience for our guests, based on the story of
our Pilot’s Watches: a story that started in 1936
with the Special Pilot’s Watch and has been
part of IWC Schaffhausen’s DNA ever since,”
said IWC CEO Georges Kern, who was the host
for the evening. Around 100 international journalists
were present as IWC’s prominent friends
and guests arrived on the red carpet: Hollywood
celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Jean Reno, Ewan
McGregor and film director Marc Forster as well
as sporting legends Boris Becker, Luís Figo and
Zinédine Zidane honoured the Schaffhausenbased
manufacturer with their presence at the
“TOP GUN” gala event.

Singer Ronan Keating,
top model Adriana Lima and gallery owner Tim
Jefferies also took this unique opportunity to
plunge into the world of the Pilot’s Watches.

A unique atmosphere
Palexpo Hall 1 in Geneva’s exhibition complex
was virtually unrecognizable. Around 1,000 guests
from all over the world gathered aboard the
replica aircraft carrier IWC12. The reason for the
spectacular backdrop was the newly launched
Pilot’s Watches from IWC, primarily the TOP
GUN and TOP GUN Miramar formations, which
are dedicated to the legendary elite flying school.
It was precisely this theme that set the tone for
the entire gala evening. Check-in was handled by
ground crew in white dress uniforms, while other
personnel, sporting authentic flight-deck gear,
coordinated the evening. Actress Rosamund
Pike and singer Aloe Blacc mingled with astonishing
interior design. The new Pilot’s Watches
from IWC were displayed in a walk-in control
tower, which provided them with a perfect setting
and an ideal exhibition space.

A superlative exhibition, even for VIPs
IWC’s exhibition stand at this year’s Salon International
de la Haute Horlogerie is another outstanding
achievement: a highly detailed aircraft
carrier, which spans 900 m2 and features
a command centre structure, flight deck, steam
catapult, hangar, flight control and pilot’s locker
room. In a relatively small space, IWC succeeds
in creating an uncannily authentic atmosphere
using specially selected details and decorative
elements for the launch of the new IWC Pilot’s
Watches. Taking centre stage is a full-scale
cockpit section of a modern naval jet, which
contains a flight simulator waiting to treat interested
visitors to an airborne experience of a very
special kind.

Naturally, Friends of the Brand like
Jean Reno, Ronan Keating, Marc Forster and
Arsène Wenger as well as other celebrities were
happy to let IWC CEO Georges Kern show them
around the fabulous exhibition stand before
going off to enjoy the gala evening.
IWC Schaffhausen tells the story
of the Pilot’s Watches
Highlights of the evening

Throughout the entire “TOP GUN” gala evening
the spotlight remained firmly on the world of
flying. The first course of dinner, for example,
was served on trays from high-rise trolleys, just
as it would be aboard an aircraft carrier canteen.
The Swiss Top Secret Drum Corps put on yet
another of their breathtaking performances. The
Corps, which is widely regarded as one of the
most innovative drumming troupes in the world,
appeared in uniforms specially made for the
event, and the phenomenal choreography left
their audience in raptures.

To mark the central
event of the evening – the launch of the new
Pilot’s Watch family – IWC presented a gripping
product film dedicated to the engineering as
well as to the craftsmanship and precision that
go into the new TOP GUN watches. The short
film cleverly interweaves animations from the
Pilot’s Watch fleet with training sequences from
the legendary Top Gun elite flying school, which
has served as the inspiration for the subline in
the Pilot’s Watch family since 2006. After all,
the pilots who get the chance to hone their flying
skills here really are the very best of breed.

Together with the quest for perfection, the passion
for technology and functionality, this impressive,
dynamic footage reflects the history of
the Pilot’s Watches and IWC’s unwavering commitment
to it. The Schaffhausen-based company’s
tradition in the production of professional
Pilot’s Watches goes all the way back to the
1930s and has seen the creation of timeless
icons such as the Big Pilot’s Watch or the Pilot’s
Watch Chronograph. In their new TOP GUN design,
they were the stars of the gala event.

To
round off this spectacular evening, IWC CEO
Georges Kern handed over the stage to British
pop singer Bryan Ferry. The co-founder and
frontman of Roxy Music has helped to write
musical history and was last year presented
with the title Commander of the British Empire,
by Queen Elizabeth II. For decades, Ferry has
bowled over audiences as a solo artist with his
massive stage presence.

And at the IWC gala
evening, he showed that he has lost none of
the old magic. Towards midnight, DJ Jack E
from Saint-Tropez took charge of the music.

With a clear focus on technology and development,
the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen
has been producing watches of lasting
value since 1868. The company has gained an
international reputation based on a passion for
innovative solutions and technical ingenuity.
One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury
watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of
Haute Horlogerie at its finest, combining supreme
precision with exclusive design.

THE END