Tag Heuer Fetes Motorsports and Jacob Elordi With Drone Show in Monaco
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The stars aligned above the Monaco harbor — in the shape of the Tag Heuer shield.
A flotilla of drones appeared above the water, evolving from the brand’s symbol to the square outline of its Monaco watch and the city’s famously winding race track.
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The bold display marked the start of a party celebrating motorsports and the arrival of Australian actor Jacob Elordi as the face of the Monaco timepiece.
“There wasn’t a better way, place or moment to announce his arrival, with [the launch of] a watch and at the [Monaco Grand Prix], the major event of the year for Tag Heuer,” said the Swiss watchmaker’s chief executive officer Frédéric Arnault, calling the three-day motorsports event “the pinnacle of Formula One and motor racing.”
“We wanted someone who would embody the young generation of actors and would share the spirit of Steve McQueen and the watch. With his style, he fits this collection to a T,” he continued.
Elordi was certainly channeling the legendary actor’s impeccably tailored look throughout the weekend. But after taking in the ambiance on the race track earlier in the day — his first experience in the world of Formula One — slipping into on-screen racing overall himself would be “awesome.”
With the added bonus of getting him points with another family member.
“My brother is a car head, so anything I know from automotive sports comes from him. It’s his passion, I understand it from far away,” he admitted to WWD, joking that with his new gig as face of the Tag Heuer Monaco watch, his sibling “definitely loves [him] more now.”
Held on the Jacques-Cartier, a 430-foot luxury ocean liner that usually tours the Mediterranean, the soirée drew a glittering crowd that included actor, race car driver and fellow brand ambassador Patrick Dempsey, “Bridgerton” star Simone Ashley and singer-songwriter Geri Halliwell-Horner, who is married to Red Bull Formula One team boss Christian Horner.
Dancing the night away to the sound of DJ Lost Frequencies were former Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere; rising golf star Paris Hilinski; second daughter and knitwear designer Ella Emhoff, and models Gabrielle Caunesil-Pozzoli and Mia Regan.
The newest Monaco timepiece was on display throughout the ship’s reception spaces, drawing appreciative comments from collectors, although eyes also strayed toward the race trophy, housed in a custom Louis Vuitton trunk and unveiled earlier during a debrief session with incumbent Formula One champion Max Verstappen.
After all, there was one spectacle that left the audience more breathless than being in the same room as Elordi and fellow ambassador Dempsey: the 79th Formula One Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who drives for Oracle Red Bull, arrived fresh from a gripping qualifying session that saw him take the fourth spot on the starting grid and teammate Sergio Pérez crashing his car in the last minutes of the contest.
Upon presenting Verstappen with an engraved and personalized version of the newest Monaco, Arnault hoped it would serve as a good luck token to help the ace driver win this year’s contest.
“I hope it rains,” Verstappen quipped, in a nod to Monaco’s notoriously narrow, winding track that makes it hard to overtake and where weather conditions are often the only wildcard element to upset the starting grid’s order.
Given how the scorching weather turned into heavy rains that delayed the start of the race the following day, the Tag Heuer magic certainly worked a charm.
Launch Gallery: Tag Heuer Hosts Party in Monaco
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