IWC Soirée Haute Horlogerie Celebrates Vintage Mercedes

IWC Schaffhausen gathered watch aficionados to their Soirée Haute Horlogerie, hosted by CEO Georges Kern who was in town for the event. The soiree celebrated Miami Art Week with an exclusive viewing of a vintage 1939 Mercedes Silver Arrow. The event too place at a private waterfront residence in Bal Harbour belonging to watch enthusiasts Alan and Ruth Zelcer where the vintage arrow was parked in the home’s beautiful courtyard. The car had only taken part in one race, preserving its pristine condition.

Vintage 1930s photographs lined the walls of the home depicting the car’s history. So why would IWC care about a beautiful vintage Mercedes? Because the Swiss watch manufacturer became the Official Engineering Partner of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team in January of this year. AMG and IWC have been paired up since 2004, and are both committed to “pushing back the boundaries of mechanics and high technology.” So high technology was on display throughout the evening via cars and lots of IWC watches, including a number of limited-edition versions that were on view.

Guests had portraits taken by photographer Robert Zuckerman in front of the Silver Arrow and were treated to dinner by celebrity chef Michael Mina. The personally introduced his menu of succulent marinated octopus and hay-smoked filet that went perfectly with the Krug Champagne that was served throughout the event. The event which brought VIPs a-plenty including IWC President Gianfranco D’Attis, Porsche Tower developer Gil Dezer, socialite Barbara Becker as well as Haute Living CEO Kamal Hotchandani. After dinner, guests took to the waterfront yard for a private performance by Estelle, where the British singer sang her hit American Boy and other songs to get the exclusive crowd dancing.