The power of celebrity has been used to market everything from washing powder to the afterlife. The luxury watch industry is still quite new to the idea, but it's switching on
fast, signing up great fistfuls of the world's finest sportsmen, actors, adventurers and artists with astonishing speed.
TAG Heuer and Omega have long-standing relationships with sports timekeeping, and Rolex — which signed a new deal with Tiger Woods in October — was the first to jump into bed with James Bond back in the 1960s but, by and large, the industry hasn't needed famous faces to endorse it because it has so many heroes of its own.
Abraham-Louis Breguet, for example. Breguet was a genius and invented pretty much everything of note in watches (like the tourbillon) and the brand that bears his name still relies heavily on his eternal celebrity to bring attention to itself. He may have died in 1823, but he has his own Facebook page.
But the watch industry has had to change. It's grown massively and the companies making watches are becoming better known
all the time. Competition is therefore rife and brands have to work harder than ever to be front-of-mind. And, after all, Rolex, TAG Heuer and Omega are the three most recognised luxury watch brands in the world. So from now on, if it's sink or swim, sign a swimmer.
Tissot
Basketball star Tony Parker is a bona fide household name in America where he
plays for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. Parker was also married to Desperate Housewives
star Eva Longoria until earlier this year, a relationship that contributed to the 29-year-
old Frenchman becoming one of the most recognisable faces on the planet.
Swiss watch brand Tissot signed him up in 2010 and this year launched the Racing-
Touch Tony Parker Limited Edition, a watch with touch-sensitive glass that you tap
to access its 11 different functions. Tap one corner, and the LCD read-out becomes
a chronograph. Tap another, and it's a compass. And so on.
"We look for driven, passionate people to promote our products, from sports
stars to actors with international appeal," says Tissot president François Thiébaud. "They have to be emotionally attached to our products and loyal to our brand, because we look to work with them for a number of years."
Thiébaud cites as an example the relationship between Tissot and Manchester United striker Michael Owen, with whom the brand has worked for more than
ten years. "Everyone wants to be seen as sports-minded today," he continues. "Following a sports personality in our choice of watch gives us the stamp of
a connoisseur."
Nicky Hayden, another Tissot ambassador, is a former MotoGP World Champion
and now a Ducati MotoGP team rider. According to Thiébaud, Hayden's achievements mean the 4,999 limited-edition Nicky Hayden MotoGP T-Race watches produced every year are always in high demand.
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