The 45mm Edox Grand Ocean chronograph in steel with a blue PVD-coated case is powered by the Calibre 011 (Valjoux 7750) automatic movement. Photo: © TANG Portfolio
The first race of the Extreme Sailing Series kicked off in February 2014 at Singapore’s Marina Bay area. Known as Act 1, it was held over three days and Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi Swiss team finally claimed victory. It is estimated that this event attracted around 30,000 spectators.
The Extreme Sailing Series started in 2007 and it was only in 2013 that Edox became the Official Timekeeper of this “stadium-style” boat race featuring 40-feet multi-hull catamarans.
The Extreme Sailing Series held in February 2014 in Singapore is the very first for the new racing season. Edox became the Official Timekeeper of the Extreme Sailing Series in 2013. The brand is also one of the sponsors of the sailing team GAC Pindar captained by Seve Jarvin. Photo: © TANG Portfolio
The brand obviously has a marine sports line and this is the Grand Ocean collection. One example from this collection is the 45mm Grand Ocean chronograph powered by the Valjoux 7750 automatic movement.
With its Extreme Sailing Series partnership, Edox has also created the 48mm Grand Ocean Extreme Sailing Series Special Edition chronograph. The brand highlights that this chronograph watch is inspired by the complex structure of a sailboat and it features a case made up of 60 components.
The 48mm Edox Grand Ocean Extreme Sailing Series Special Edition in stainless steel, blue PVD-coated with a big date display. Edox’s Calibre 45 is a base ETA 2892-2 automatic movement modified by Dubois Dépraz 4500. Water-resistant to 300m (900 feet), it is priced at around US$4,300 / SGD5,400 (Singapore dollars) / RM14,150 (Malaysian Ringgit) before tax. Photo: © Edox
One version of the stainless steel case is PVD-coated in blue and another is in black. The Grand Ocean Special Edition has a big date display at the 12 o’clock position. Its engine is what the brand terms the Calibre 45, utilising an ETA 2892-2 base with modifications and add-ons by Dubois Dépraz.
In late 2013, Crystal Time became the official distributor of Edox timepieces in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. The Extreme Sailing Series in February 2014 was therefore used as a meaningful platform for Crystal Time to launch the brand’s new models for its Grand Ocean, Class 1 and ChronoRally collections in this part of the world.
Tan Soo Khoon, managing director of Crystal Time notes that the Extreme Sailing Series is an F1 equivalent type of water sport.
As for such a sport in Singapore waters, Pamela Tan, brand manager of Crystal Time, highlights that this is the only race held in Southeast Asia.
The Extreme Sailing Series will also be held in the Middle East, Russia, Europe and Australia. In 2012, the media value of the Extreme Sailing Series was 27.8 million euros (around US$38.2 million / SGD48.5 million).