The mecca of dance music
As the sun rises over the island of Ibiza, the hotels are strangely deserted; the swimming pools are as still as glass, and the white sun loungers look uncomfortably naked without the usual array of brightly colored beach towels.
The only movement on the beach is that of a group of young women returning from a night on the town, high heels in hand, after hours of dancing to some of the best club sounds you will find in Europe.
Over the last couple of decades Ibiza has built a reputation for itself as the mecca for dance music, or Electronic Dance Music (EDM), as is it is now referred to.
EDM is a blanket term that covers all the electronic music genres, and Ibiza features it all—house, techno, trance, hip hop, drum and bass, lounge, garage, dub, and more.
Over two million came to Ibiza in 2015, most, young people, attracted to the unique party scene. For a watch brand looking to reach the next generation of watch lovers, this is most definitely the place to be.
The TAG Heuer vision
When Jean-Claude Biver, President of the LVMH’s Watch Division, took his focus away from Hublot to concentrate on sister-brand, TAG Heuer, all of us at Revolution knew it was going to be good.
And even if no one can predict success (although it turns out the brand is up 20% on last year, when the watch industry as a whole is in a slump), we did know we were in for a thrilling ride.
One of the first things that Biver initiated was to go after a younger generation of customers.
In the 1970s and 80s TAG Heuer was known for being sporty, hip and cool, but over the following decades it had slightly lost this vibe as it had aimed to seduce a more mature audience.
Biver is now taking the brand back to its roots through partnerships and associations in more popular arenas such as football, surfing, motor racing and electronic music.
The music scene
Biver went straight to the top of the EDM scene by partnering with two of the most successful and inspiring DJs and producers today: The legendary French DJ David Guetta; and upcoming Dutch talent, Martin Garrix, who is currently ranked third in the top 100 best DJs in the world (djmag.com), an amazing achievement for a young man of only 20 years of age.
Both artists have residency gigs in Ibiza throughout the summer, playing at some of the island’s top clubs on a weekly basis, while attracting thousands of fans.
Both invited TAG Heuer and a select group of journalists to experience what they do best, with electric performances that have turned both of them into modern day rock stars.
David Guetta and Martin Garrix are at the top of their game and were delighted to partner with a brand like TAG Heuer. “I think it is great that TAG Heuer is supporting sport and music,” shared Guetta. “It is a luxury brand, but I think it is accessible to people. I have been approached by top luxury brands, but I feel the music I am making is for the people. TAG Heuer is quality luxury, but still accessible, like music.”
When asked about how they “Don’t Crack Under Pressure,” they shared recent stories of how sometimes even superstars get nervous.
“For me it was playing live on The Jimmy Fallon Show last week in front of eight million viewers,” shared Garrix, “I was playing my guitar live, I don’t remember the last time I was that stressed.”
For Guetta it was playing under the Eiffel Tower for the opening of the Euro 2016 Football Tournament. “I was doing the music for the UEFA Euro 2016. I’m from Paris and had always dreamed of doing something under the Eiffel tower like this. It was very stressful and very emotional.”
For Biver, it was talking in front of 150 Chinese military personnel for the launch of TAG Heuer’s partnership with China’s Official Mars Exploration Program.
“I had to be serious — like a normal CEO, but I also knew that I must do something to make every military guy smile,” he laughed.
Of course, being the best public speaker we know, he found a solution, and made us laugh in the process.
In true TAG Heuer style, the DJs were then invited to a friendly game of five-a-side football with legendary football players from Spain’s soccer league La Liga, also a new partnership for the brand.
Guetta admitted to hating football as a kid, and Garrix shared that he used to play on Sunday mornings, but would invariably fall asleep as he was often left on the bench, or put in goal, as he was always DJing on Saturday nights.
Despite the 30-degree heat, they put on a fun and fabulous show and enjoyed every minute, going for each and every ball like true ambassadors.
The day ended with Garrix giving our small group of journalists and football legends a private performance of one of his latest sets as the sun set over the swimming pool.
We weren’t perhaps the young and trendy demographic targeted by TAG Heuer, but that didn’t stop us from dancing.
We then followed Garrix on to the Ushuaia outdoor arena where he performed his weekly two-hour concert in front of over 4,000 people.
Needless to say, I found myself returning to the hotel hours later, barefoot, heels in hand, with the sun peaking its head over the horizon!
The New Aquaracer Black Titanium
In celebration of this spectacular Ibiza event, TAG Heuer took the opportunity to unveil its new Aquaracer Black Titanium, featuring the brand’s Caliber 5 automatic movement and a 43mm case crafted from Grade 2 titanium with a jet-black titanium carbide coating.
This sporty new edition to the Aquaracer collection finds its inspiration in the deep blue sea. Blue details can be found on the hands and indexes, as well as on the unidirectional ceramic bezel, which has been engraved and filled with the brightest blue lacquer.
The timepiece is completed with a dashing blue nylon strap with rubber lining, making it ideal for the water, especially with a water-resistance of 300 meters. With its stunning dark blue looks, excellent functionality, legibility and durability, the Aquaracer Black Titanium is the perfect timepiece for fun in the sun and clubbing by night, and what better place to unveil it than on the holiday island of Ibiza.
