Set Sail
On February 7, 2008, premium watchmaker Ulysse Nardin SA offered a preview of its 2008 collection in India for the first time. In celebration of this occasion, Harish Chainani of Swiss Promotion hosted cocktails and dinner at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai. The new watches were unveiled by Laurent Michaud, Regional Manager — Far East, Ulysse Nardin SA, who said, “It’s a pleasure to be in India at a time when the luxury watch market is opening up to challenging avenues.”

The occasion observed a glittering showcase of the new watches — limited editions of the Blue Phantom and Blue Seal, and other collections like the Quadrato, Maxi Marine Chronometer and GMT Dual Time. The memorable evening was attended by Natasha Poonawala, Parvez Damania and Zeba and Rajesh Kohli among others.
(l-r) Harish Chainani, Sunder Chainani, Laurent michaud and Nitin Chainani

FLY BUY
On February 21, 2008, a unique partnership between Hublot and Kingfisher Airlines was announced at the Hotel Intercontinental in Mumbai. The CEO of Hublot, Jean-Claude Biver, spoke about the association at a press conference, in the presence of Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO of Kingfisher Airlines. An outcome of this alliance was the development of the Hublot Big Bang King watch, which was unveiled at the event. Biver revealed that a special limited edition of the watch would be made for Kingfisher to sell aboard Kingfisher First. “The watch will have the words ‘Big Bang Kingfisher’,” said Biver, who presented the Hublot watch to Dr. Mallya. The latter explained, “The association between our brands emerged out of a meeting the two of us had, in our capacity as members of the Monaco Yacht Club.” Biver also informed that the Kingfisher watch would be available in a limited edition of not more than 50 pieces.
Jean-claude biver presents dr. vijay mallya with the big bang king watch

IN FULL SWING
The week-long Indian Masters Golf Tournament, featuring masters like Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Ernie Els, Arjun Atwal and Gaurav Ghei, commenced on February 4, 2008. Sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Omega, the prize ceremony was attended by its President, Stephen Urquhart and Brand Ambassador Abhishek Bachchan. Omega also felicitated S.S.P.

Chowrasia with an Omega Double Eagle Chronograph. Speaking on the occasion, Urquhart stated, “As a great admirer of distinction in every field, and as a lover of the game, I personally found it enthralling to watch such excellence at play.” He further added that the brand was honoured to be allied with the tournament. Omega is one of the few watch brands to be associated with golf.
Actor abhishek bachchan at the prize ceremony

FREE-SPIRITED PIAGET
On February 23, several movie stars shone in Piaget splendour at the Annual Independent Spirit Awards ceremony. Numerous attendees, nominees and presenters chose to celebrate this grand event with Piaget creations. Former Friends star, Lisa Kudrow, looked stunning in a sautoir and matching earrings in white gold, diamonds and black jade, while Javier Bardem had a pink gold Rectangle à l’Ancienne on his wrist. Piaget’s guest of honour, Maggie Cheung, wore two rings from the Limelight collection.

Actor Irrfan Khan sported a pink gold square shaped Altiplano watch. Producer of Juno, Russell Smith accepted the Best Feature Award wearing a white gold Altiplano watch. Piaget further strengthened its longstanding ties with Hollywood by sponsoring the Independent Spirit Awards.

The brand also lent its name to a category called the Piaget Producer’s Award. Also present at the occasion were actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
(clockwise) irrfan khan with Piaget ceo philippe leopold metzger; maggie cheung; lisa kudrow

ON THE SLOPES
The FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals 2008 in Borno, Italy were attended by Norwegian ski athlete Aksel Lund Svindal, Ambassador of Longines and winner of the 2007 championship. He was accompanied by Giancarlo Prevosto, Longines Brand Manager in Italy. However, unlike last year, Svindal attended the 2008 finals in the capacity of a spectator. There to present watches to the winners of the World Cup, Svindal revealed, “When I came back to watch the competitions, I noticed how much I like it.” Speaking about his recovery after an accident last November, he said, “I lost a lot of weight because of the injury and I had to work hard to get back on the slopes and to go faster. I am still not in perfect shape, but my aim is to be ready for the start of the 2008-’09 season.” Svindal’s prowess and technique on the slopes, combined with the elegance in his performance, made him the ideal choice for Longines.
Aksel lund svindal and giancarlo prevosto