Swiss luxury watch brands like to associate themselves with sports and sportsmen who have achieved a high position in their respective sports. Professional athletes from auto racing, boating regattas, and track and field are a popular choice as brand ambassadors. Ulysse Nardin, one of the top players in the luxury watch segment with some of the most expensive watches has taken to another sport and signed pitching great Randy Johnson as a brand ambassador. To announce the arrangement an event was organized in the owner’s box at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnson spent six of his most successful years playing for the team there. Johnson will not only participate in promotional campaigns but partner Ulysse Nardin in creating a timepiece which will be named the ‘Big Unit’, the nick name given to Johnson by his fans and peers. The watch is expected to be ready for release by late 2012 or early 2013.
Randy Johnson: The Most Valuable Player
Johnson had earned the respect of the other players on the tour by throwing 100-mile-an-hour fast balls with consistency and accuracy. He had a 22 year long major-league career during which he won five Cy Young awards which is the highest honor for a major league pitcher. He was also part of the 2001 World Series championship victory with the Diamondbacks, where he shared the Most Valuable Player honor. From a luxury watch maker’s perspective Johnson had the most appropriate left arm and wrist. Apart from his sporting achievements what made Johnson a natural choice for Ulysse Nardin. He is an avid watch collector and an admirer of the Ulysse Nardin brand. Patrik Hoffman, Ulysse Nardin, CEO explained that the brand has entered into similar relationships with athletes in Russia and India. It is the strategy of the brand to use athletes or celebrities as ambassadors in countries where Ulysse Nardin is popular.
A Big Addition to the Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver Line Collection
Johnson has already started working with the professional team on the design of the timepiece. The name of the timepiece was a natural choice for a watch created by the Big Unit. And to go with the name the watch predictably will be big. Johnson is also trying to give the watch a baseball feel. There could be things on the bazel or the face or even the hands. The watch will be part of the Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver line collection. However neither Hoffman nor Johnson were willing to disclose many details about the watch. In any case the watch is still being developed. There is a suspense about the number of pieces of the limited edition timepiece will be produced. Some people believe it could be 303 which is the total number of wins in Johnson’s long career. Johnson while talking in an interview disclosed that he became attracted to luxury timepieces while traveling to different cities to play his matches as a pitcher. He has accumulated a nice collection over his 22 year long career and now at the end of it all he feels really honored to have a watch created in his name. It definitely beats the high he felt when he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Via: forbes
