Time Spin

These are indeed big boots to fill. Joining the likes of tennis player Pete Sampras,jazz artist Wynton Marsalis,actors Amanda Seyfried,Kerry Washington and dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is Movado’s newest brand ambassador cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Interestingly,Singh has edged out former Bollywood actress and celebrity wife Twinkle Khanna who was the Swiss luxury watch brand’s face for eight years till the announcement was made in London,in the backdrop of the T-20 World Cup earlier this week. For the uninitiated,Movado that’s been present in India for over 12 years has always hand-picked fine talent,be it from the world of sports or the performing arts,to represent it in the world media. In fact,quite like the brand itself,its ambassadors are considered synonymous with modern style. So it’s a tad surprising to find Bhajji in the elite line-up. “Not only is he a cricketer of immense talent and skill but Harbhajan is also an extremely popular personality,” the brand’s head of marketing and sales in India,Hemant Khurana explains emphatically. Referring to him as a “bigger name” vis-a-vis Ms Khanna,Khurana and the team at Movado were convinced of their new choice. “Essentially Movado has looked for personality traits that best match its core values,” shares Khurana. Among those,passion and excellence seem to top the list. “We could have picked a Bollywood star but Harbhajan’s versatality and ability to stand up for himself scored very high with us,” the head honcho explains. While the ace bowler,who is also a Padma Shri awardee,endorses brands like Reebok and Idea,Movado is clearly the plumpest in his kitty. “Also we wanted to sign on brand ambassador with whom we could have a longer innings and Bhajji’s cricketing career is far from over,” Khurana asserts.

As for the cricketer who like Sachin Tendulkar has a weakness for watches,the luxury ones in particular,the association couldn’t have been better-timed. “Movado believes in the art of design and is known for its perfection worldwide. As for me,I have strong faith in the pursuit of perfection and I am looking forward to a long association,” Singh remarked at the official announcement in London. And from what we hear,the brand will dish out as much as 1.8 crore on advertising this year and without doubt Bhajji will dominate. “We are aiming to go all out…be it in newspapers,magazines and OOH campaigns et al,” the marketing head admits. Speaking of going all the way,the cricketer will make his way back home to Punjab,albeit in a new avatar. ‘Watch’ out for him!