By Adam Keith, Associate Timepiece Editor for ViaLuxe-
Swiss watchmaker Omega just concluded the official Asian market launch of the Omega 2009 Constellation watch collection, assisted by their radiant actress ambassador Zhang Ziyi. The event took place at Omega's new corporate flagship boutique in the upscale SOGO department store in Shanghai, and was followed by a celebratory concert at the Shanghai Concert Hall.
Omega president Stephen Urquhart guided Ms. Ziyi on a tour of the premises. Ziyi, a long-time wearer of Omega timepieces, also got the opportunity to delve deeply into her fascination with watchmaking. The clearly pleased actress, star of such films as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "The Road Home" and "Memoirs of a Geisha", took a seat at the watchmaking bench and partially assembled a mechanical movement with the patient guidance of an Omega watchmaker.
Zhang Ziyi has been an Omega ambassador since 2008, but has been an avowed fan of the renowned Swiss brand for over a decade, choosing as her constant companion an Omega Constellation timepiece.
"The values of Omega--credibility, achievement and pioneering spirit--are what I have devoted myself to for the past ten years," says Ziyi. "When I was first approached by Omega I was very happy because the company is extremely well known and respected in China, where they have been since 1895."
Zhang Ziyi autographed the box of an Omega Constellation watch which will be featured in a drawing at the Omega headquarters in Shanghai. Thousands are expected to attend the event, which promises to burnish Omega's already prestigious reputation among Chinese luxury consumers.
The concert was another sophisticated presentation of Omega brand values and product virtues. Above the red carpeted stairway to the Shanghai Concert Hall hung elegant banners featuring the Omega Constellation watch with an image of the elegant Zhang Ziyi amidst a backdrop of cherry blossoms. This photograph, the work of acclaimed fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti will be part of Omega' 2009 communications campaign for the Constellation collection. During the concert itself, music from "Bell at Dawn, Drum at Dusk" accompanied a multi-media presentation in which the Omega Constellation watch emerges from images of the universe, and an infinitesimal patterns of stars.
In the realm of human stars, Omega can number some of the most celebrated as its brand ambassadors. In addition to Zhang Ziyi, Omega maintains a strong relationship with Oscar-winning actors George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, in addition to supermodel-entrepreneur Cindy Crawford.
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