Patrick Dempsey, Alexandra Daddario Talk Tag Heuer at Flagship Opening Dinner
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On Wednesday night, longtime Tag Heuer ambassador Patrick Dempsey pulled up to the watch brand’s new Fifth Avenue flagship in a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT with some new arm candy: the Carrera Skipper.
The actor joined Tag Heuer chief executive officer Frederic Arnault (who donned the Nike x Tiffany Air Force 1 sneakers) and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton titan Bernard Arnault at the lively boutique, before hopping back in the car to make his way two blocks downtown for dinner at the 620 Loft & Garden at Rockefeller Center. Despite the heatwave, the actor only lamented that he wasn’t the one behind the wheel.
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A professional race car driver, Dempsey traces his joint partnership with Tag Heuer and Porsche back to the starting grid at Le Mans. But Wednesday night was centered around a different sport — sailing. The actor was eager to show off the brand’s new Skipper, first released in the ’60s in collaboration with Abercrombie & Fitch for the America’s Cup.
“Those watches are really good right now at auction, by the way — the vintage ones — and you’re seeing it here,” said Dempsey, angling the watch away from his suit cuff for a better vantage of the subdial. “So this area here is your 15-minute warning. When you get into the red, the regatta is about to start.”
The actor stars in the upcoming film “Ferrari,” which will debut at the Venice Film Festival. Dempsey portrays Italian racer Piero Taruffi, who drove a Ferrari to win the 1957 Mille Miglia.
“He was an incredible polymath, a designer, understood aerodynamics and engineering as well. And it’s just great to be a part of that,” Dempsey said. “To be able to shoot it in Italy, driving cars all the time, in period costume, was fantastic. Piero Taruffi was called the ‘Gray Fox’ because he [his hair] was completely white. I’m getting there; I’m not fully there yet. But it was fun to have that experience as well, physically transforming it a little bit. Or visually, I should say.”
The film is set for a Christmas Day release; Dempsey also stars in Eli Roth’s horror film “Thanksgiving.” “So it’s a good fall. And hopefully the strike gets settled before then so people can go back to work,” he added.
Was Dempsey feeling optimistic as his Carrera ticked closer to midnight? “Not really, no. We’ll know tonight what happens, but I’m not sure it’s good. But hopefully we can get some sort of resolution to this issue.”
But there was still plenty to celebrate at dinner, held outside on the rooftop venue overlooking Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and Fifth Avenue. Kieran Culkin had just received an Emmy nomination for “Succession” hours earlier, Taylor Zakhar Perez is gearing up for the release of “Red, White and Royal Blue” next month, and Christopher Briney was two days away from the season two release of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Other dinner guests included Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Doherty, Pritika Swarup and Lily Chee. Luckily, Krug Champagne was on hand for all of the evening’s toasty-worthy moments.
“I am a lucky kid,” said Briney, glancing down at the timepiece on his wrist during cocktails. “I don’t think I’ve ever had something so precious in my life. It’s delicate and beautiful — and I feel like it’s not my hand anymore.”
Earlier this spring, Alexandra Daddario was revealed as the face of the Tag Heuer Carrera Date. “Every time I work with a brand, I really wanna love it. Just like a movie, you wanna really love what you’re doing. Otherwise it feels completely inauthentic and depressing,” said Daddario, a self-professed watch fan. “I’ve been wearing Tag Heuer for years, and now I get to wear Tag Heuer all the time — and, I get extra watches.”
The actress, who stars in Tommy Dorfman’s upcoming directorial debut “I Wish You All the Best,” was feeling calm as the SAG-AFTRA contract deadline loomed.
“So much is up in the air with everything that’s going on in our business, and just my life,” she said. “We went through the pandemic, and I think that prepares you for tougher stuff. Because the pandemic comes and you go, oh my god, nothing will ever be the same. And then it sort of goes back to being normal again. So I think we’ll all be OK.”
Launch Gallery: Inside the TAG Heuer 5th Avenue Flagship Grand Opening Celebration
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