MEDIA RELEASE PR38823
TAG Heuer Celebrates 150th Anniversary With Event in Basel Honoring Environmental
Activist, Actor Leonardo DiCaprio
BASEL, Mar. 19/ PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
- TAG Heuer and Tesla Motors Embark on "Odyssey of Pioneers" World Tour
TAG Heuer today kicked off a celebration if its 150th
anniversary at an invitation-only event for more than 600 guests, honoring
actor and climate change activist Leonardo DiCaprio for his dedication to
saving the environment. DiCaprio has an ongoing partnership with the company
that benefits the NRDC and Green Cross International.
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The evening - dedicated to the pioneering spirit of innovation
-
also served as the launch for the Odyssey of Pioneers - a unique travelling
roadshow that will showcase TAG Heuer's finest timepieces of past, present
and future in 15 cities, between March and October 2010.
As an Olympic flame, the tour will be lead by the new TAG
Heuer Tesla Roadster, an exclusive model introduced by electric carmaker
Tesla Motors at the Geneva Motor Show in early March 2010. This one-of-a-kind
collector's car incorporates the defining TAG Heuer avant-garde design
elements, and celebrates the core values of both brands: innovation,
precision, prestige and performance.
Starting in Basel, "The Odyssey of Pioneers" will be the first
round-the-world tour by a zero-emission GT car: 37,000 km/24,000 miles;
six-months; 15 stops; 18 watches on show, one record to be scored.
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla Motors, was at the
wheel of the new vehicle when it made its grand entry on stage. "The
engineers of both brands have worked hand-in-hand, convinced that
performance-driven technology - whether on the wrist or on the road - must be
part of any sustainable development," Musk said.
The night also served as the premiere of the Grand Carrera
Pendulum, a 2010 concept watch that turns an immutable principle of
mechanical watchmaking on its head - it is the first movement without a
hairspring. Jean-Christophe Babin, president and CEO of TAG Heuer, explained
how it works : "In the regulation system, we simply replaced the traditional
hairspring with magnetic fields. TAG Heuer invented the oscillating pinion in
1887; the Mikrograph, the first counter that was accurate to a 100th of a
second; and the V4, with its belt-driven transmission system. Now, we are
introducing another major innovation, and another example of the pioneering
spirit that has imbued us for a century and a half."
"Mastering time, this has been our challenge since 1860," said
TAG Heuer Honorary Chairman Jack Heuer as he opened the celebration.
In his remarks, Leonardo DiCaprio - wearing the new Carrera
1887 - discussed his pride in being an ambassador for the company : "I am
excited to be here to celebrate TAG's 150th birthday," said DiCaprio. "I am
proud to be associated with a company that not only has a rich and storied
history, but also understand the importance of doing good in the world. Our
partnership, which enables people to buy a quality timepiece and help save
the planet at the same time, is a model I hope other brands will follow."
At dawn on Friday, April 19, the TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster
left Basel to carry out its task of taking 150 years of heritage around the
world and write a new page in this wonderful story.
For further information concerning the products, please
To chart the Odyssey in real time and read about the drivers
In 2010, TAG Heuer proudly celebrates 150 years of pioneering Swiss
watchmaking. Founded in Saint-Imier in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, TAG Heuer has
set many major milestones of high-end watchmaking, especially in the field of
chronographs and ultimate precision. Today, one of the largest and most
desired brands in the luxury watch industry, the Swiss legend draws upon its
active engagement in the world of sports to create the most accurate timing
instruments and watches in the world. TAG Heuer is the first watchmaker to
master luxury chronographs with an unsurpassed precision of 1/10th, 1/100th
and 1/1,000th of a second. From the Olympic Games in the 1920s to its role as
official timekeeper to within 1/10,000th of a second for the legendary Indy
500, TAG Heuer, in a constant quest for innovation, excellence, performance
and prestige, continues to aim ever higher. This is reflected in its
quarter-century partnership with F1 team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, its
7-year partnership with 2008 Formula 1 World Champion, Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, and his new teammate , 2009 Formula 1 World
Champion Jenson Button. TAG Heuer, more than ever, epitomizes prestige and
performance through active partnerships with Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio
and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, LPGA star Suzann Pettersen and WTA tennis
champion Maria Sharapova. TAG Heuer is a privileged member of the Fondation
de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the most exclusive club in the Swiss
watchmaking industry. The newest addition to the TAG Heuer legacy is the
Calibre 1887, an in-house, Swiss manufactured, integrated column-wheel
chronograph movement that pays tribute to the original Heuer oscillating
pinion of 1887, one of the brand's first patents and a major benchmark in
modern watchmaking. From March through October 2010, TAG Heuer's
revolutionary and ecologically conscious "Odyssey of Pioneers" exhibit, the
first-ever round-the-world trip in a 100% electric car designed specifically
by Tesla Motors for TAG Heuer, will showcase in Olympic flame fashion the
brand's past, present and future collections across 15 key cities of the
world.
SOURCE: TAG Heuer SA
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