IWC Schaffhausen welcomes new brand ambassador Bradley Cooper at star-studded SIHH gala

IWC Schaffhausen celebrated its 150th anniversary at this year's Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) and marked the occasion holding a glamorous gala dinner inviting along a host of A-list stars, including four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper who is the brand's newest ambassador. The Avengers: Infinity War star was announced as an ambassador on 16 January, as he was shown the ropes by fellow friend of the brand Cate Blanchett, mingling with celebrities including models Adriana Lima and Karolína Kurková, musician Ronan Keating, who performed at the bash, and his wife Storm, and sports personalities Valtteri Bottas and David Coulthard.

Speaking of Cooper's appointment, Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, (pictured) who was also in attendance at the Geneva watch fair said: “We are happy to welcome Bradley Cooper to our exclusive circle of brand ambassadors. With his pursuit of quality and creativity, he is a perfect match for IWC, a brand which in the course of its 150-year history has continued to renew itself and delights people the world over with its passion for handcrafted watchmaking.” >>

Related: IWC Schaffhausen to launch 150 year anniversary collection at SIHH

Several IWC brand ambassadors also visited the SIHH earlier in the day and had the chance to take a look at the Jubilee collection at the IWC booth, designed in the industrial style of the early days of IWC. The centrepiece of the trade fair booth was a gigantic time machine with digital display discs inspired by timepieces such as a Pallweber watch. 

Tempus editor Rachel Ingram spoke to IWC Creative Director Christian Knoop at the SIHH about the brand's show at the luxury watch fair. He said: "To have our 150 year anniversary is a big moment for the history of the brand, there’s a big obligation for the product team to come up with something decent, and we decided to create a capsule collection which really stands out from our standard product: a collection of limited watches." >>

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"I joined IWC almost ten years ago and trained as an industrial designer, working for some international agency in product design and brand consultancy. Before IWC I’d never worked in the watch industry, I’d only designed industrial product, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, medical devices, aircraft interiors, but coming to the watch industry I was really fascinated with the emotional power of watches," he said. "A watch is one of the most emotional products you can have, and when people come to me and tell me about the watches they’ve inherited, received, and bought during special moments in their life and how much emotion is attached to them, this really touches, motivates and fascinates me to work in this industry. It’s amazing."

Guests also enjoyed performances from Aloe Blacc and jazz drummer Eric Harland, while another star attraction came in the form of BRIT Award nomiated songstress Paloma Faith.