IWC Schaffhausen

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN MEETS UP WITH THE STARS IN CANNES

Date — 16 May, 2011

IWC Schaffhausen in Cannes

Cannes, 15 May 2011–As part of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, IWC Schaffhausen invited a number of guests to a glamorous evening event. Alongside Matthew Fox and Boris Becker, both Friends of the Brand, Swiss film producer Arthur Cohn honoured us with his appearance. Supertramp’s former singer Roger Hodgson entertained guests with his own unique brand of vocals.

For years now, luxury watches from traditional Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen have appeared in countless Hollywood films. Big studios such as DreamWorks, Touchstone Pictures, Warner Bros. and Universal regularly feature timepieces from IWC Schaffhausen in their productions. And it isn’t just the leading actors in thrillers such as “Wall Street”, box-office hits such as “Ocean’s 13” or the action comedy “RED” who wear IWC watches but also the main characters in the US series “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Gossip Girl”.

Two industries with many features in common Watch manufacturer IWC’s affinity with the world of film-making and the silver screen is apparent in its choice of Friends of the Brand, who include Oscar winners and numerous Hollywood actors. CEO Georges Kern took the opportunity of the Cannes Film Festival to invite IWC’s Friends – among them Matthew Fox and Boris Becker, as well as other selected guests such as Swiss film producer Arthur Cohn – to an exclusive gala dinner. “The worlds of film and watchmaking have a lot in common,” explained Georges Kern. “In both spheres, passion and profound know-how are absolutely crucial. And ultimately, genuine craftsmanship creates successful masterpieces.” Another master of his trade is Roger Hodgson, former vocalist with Supertramp, who put his musical stamp on the evening. The numbers sang by the Englishman during a private concert lasting around two hours no doubt sent a nostalgic shiver down the spines of many of those present.

A photo shoot with many of IWC’s Friends After a dinner of exquisite Italian specialities, the evening continued at “Le Club by Albane”. The nightspot, a popular haunt with actors as well as celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment, is hosting another IWC special event for the duration of the Film Festival: an exhibition featuring a selection of pictures taken in the course of a photo shoot in Portofino to launch the new watch line of the same name. These images of IWC’s Friends were masterfully captured by the famous photographer Peter Lindbergh, one of the guests at IWC’s dinner, exactly a year ago in the little harbour town Portofino in the unforgettable style of the1950s
and 60s.

Peter Lindbergh’s shoot: www.iwc.com/experiences/days-portofino

IWC Schaffhausen
Uwe Liebminger
Department Manager Public Relations
Mobile +41(0)79 95772 52
E-mail uwe.liebminger@iwc.com

IWC France
Sophie Bretagne
Communications
Phone +33 (0)1581814 68
Mobile +33 (0)6 63 9740 01
E-mail sophie.bretagne@richemont.com