Omega Sponsors World Cup Qualifier in Aruba

28 September 2007

The Tierra del Sol Golf Club in Aruba, Dutch Caribbean, is set for the arrival of The Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier from 27-30 September. A total of 19 nations will battle it out for the five qualifying places available and the chance to take part in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China from 22-25 November.

The line-up sees a number of Latin American and Caribbean teams including Paraguay, Mexico and Brazil along with Italy, Ireland and the Czech Republic from Europe. With four PGA victories to his name Carlos Franco will represent Paraguay in the World Cup for the fourth time in his career. Other favourites include Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari. Former US Amateur champion Edoardo has made an exceptional start to the 2007 Challenge Tour Season, winning at both the Club Colombia Masters and the Tusker Kenya Cup within the space of five weeks. Meanwhile 2006 saw younger brother Francesco win the Telecom Italian Open on home soil in Milan.

Representing Ireland in Aruba will be Gareth Maybin and Michael Hoey, who see the Omega Mission Hills World Cup as a springboard for their careers. “I’ve played in a lot of European Tour events and other big golf tournaments in recent years, but to get the opportunity to represent Ireland at a World Cup would be a dream come true,” said Hoey.

The format for the first and third rounds of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier will be fourball (better ball), with foursomes (alternate shot) to be used in the second and final rounds. The Official World Golf Ranking has already seen 18 teams qualify for the World Cup and ten qualifying places are up for grabs, five each in Aruba and Kuala Lumpur which hosts the Asian Zone qualifier, the Fortis International Challenge. Mexico, the winners of last year’s tournament, formerly known as the Nations Cup and now officially known as the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Aruba Qualifier, finished tied eighth in the 2006 Barbados World Cup.

Omega’s President Stephen Urquhart recognises the importance of such a diverse range of entries. “The World Cup sees the coming together of the biggest golfing nations on earth,” he said. “We are delighted that Omega will be the title sponsor for the Aruba qualifier which provides the opportunity for smaller nations to compete on the top stage in golf.”

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Swatch brand Longines to generate 1 bln sfr in sales within 3 years

27 September 2007

Swatch Group's luxury brand Longines is expected to generate some 1 bln sfr in sales over the next three years, chief executive Nick Hayek said in an interview with Swiss daily '24 heures'. Hayek said the brand has secured a leading position in the sport watch segment and has become a key growth driver for the group along with the Omega and Swatch brands.



28 September 2007



Top 100 Watches of 2007 to Be Named by WatchWi-FiTV.com for Launch of World's First Internet TV Station Devoted to Timepieces

27 September 2007

Wi-Fi TV Inc. (Other OTC:WTVI.PK - News) announced today that WatchWi-FiTV.com, the world's first 24/7 Internet TV station devoted to the lucrative field of watches, will launch with the announcement of the WatchWi-FiTV Top 100 Watches of 2007.

The awards announcement will be globally webcast on November 1.

With annual reported sales of watches from Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that owns watch brands including Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LaCoultre, IWC, A. Lange & Sohne, Panerai and others, topping $1.6 billion, Wi-Fi TV feels a global Internet audience with high discretionary income awaits the arrival of the first Internet TV station devoted to watches.

WatchWi-FiTV.com will be featured in several locations throughout the newly designed Wi-Fi TV Social Internet TV web sites (www.Wi-FiTV.com) and will also be accessible directly by its own URL (www.WatchWi-FiTV.com).

Wi-Fi TV will be interviewing the world's leading watch designers, and showcasing new and classic watches with its proprietary station.

Jewelers and manufacturers may contact Wi-Fi TV directly to be featured (at no cost) in the programming by sending an email to info@wi-fitv.com or by calling 949-675-5011. Promo material should be sent to Wi-Fi TV Inc., Watch TV Station, Attn: John Rothchild, 3434 Via Lido #300, Newport Beach, CA 92663.

The year of the sports watch

28 September 2007

The sports watch roundup after BaselWorld and SIHH is assigned to me because I happen to be the ‘sportiest’ journalist on the Europa Star masthead (though Sophie Furley, Managing Editor, is a marathoner and puts me to shame running). With all the sports I play, at least I understand what the minimum requirements of a sports watch are, and I wear sports watches all the time.

By Keith W. Strandberg

This year, 2007, could be called the Year of the Sports Watch because of all the sports and sporty watches introduced. The sports watch category is a huge and profitable one because a true sports watch is the ‘no-brainer’ of the watch industry. Unlike dress watches or complicated watches, sports watches require no more thinking than just strapping them on. You don't have to worry about them - you can do just about anything with a true sports watch (except maybe pound nails with the caseback, but with some sports watches you can probably do that without any adverse effects).

New sports watches

Indicative of what a sports watch has to be is the new Master Compressor Diving collection from Jaeger-LeCoultre. Designed to be a full-on sports watch, the Master Compressor Diving collection features remarkable design and construction in a very attractive and useful package.
The Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic is water-resistant to 300 metres and features a mechanical depth gauge and world time that is very easy to read. In designing this cool feature, the Jaeger-LeCoultre technicians conceived the idea of transposing the exclusive system that has been driving the Atmos clock for almost 80 years into a mechanism governed by water pressure rather than air pressure. The depth gauge of the Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic is composed of a membrane that expands or contracts according to the aquatic pressure exercised on its metal head, which is displayed on the dedicated large blue depth gauge pointer by means of a transmission system that is partially visible on the dial itself. The large rhodium-plated component, called a rack, and the central pinion, are specifically shaped to enable a logarithmic-scale display that is more detailed over the first 40 metres. You don't have to be in the water to use this function, however. You can press on the head of the gauge at any time and watch the pointer move according to how hard you press. This 46.3mm watch features a new Geographic movement and comes in grade 5 Titanium.
The 44mm Master Compressor Diving Chronograph is water-resistant to 1,000 metres and features a robust chronograph movement, along with a pulsometer scale, something real sports enthusiasts will appreciate. The numbers and hour markers are oversized for easy readability, and the luminescence is in blue, to ensure maximum contrast below the water's surface.
Zenith's Defy Xtreme series continues to push sports watch specifications. These watches are meant to be used and abused, and two new watches showcase the brand's competence. The Defy Xtreme Chronograph uses an automatic El Primero movement and is water-resistant to 1,000 metres and uses shock absorbing Zenithium Z on the balance, chronograph and pallet bridges, also incorporating an Incabloc shock absorbing device. The Chronograph comes in a 46.5mm titanium case.
A Limited Edition Zenith Defy Xtreme Open Stealth opens up the dial and is available in two versions for 100 pieces each in black and grey, also water-resistant to 1,000 metres. In the Defy Classic series, all the watches are water-resistant to 300 metres, which makes them all serious sports watches.

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