26/06/2017 – Bermuda (BDA) – 35th America’s Cup 2017 – 35th America’s Cup 2017 Presented by Louis Vuitton, Day 5 – Emirates Team New Zealand wins the America’s Cup

The Omega sponsored Emirates Team New Zealand has just won the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda 26 June, defeating holders the United States; and so, this billion US dollar event will return to Asia-Pacific waters for the first time since 2003.

17/06/17 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Match Racing Day 1. Emirates Team New Zealand vs. Oracle Team USA races 1 & 2. Copyright: Richard Hodder / Emirates Team New Zealand

It will be a tremendous boost here for luxury brands like much-involved Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy and many other watch, bank, car, jewellery and wine and spirits companies that are traditionally part of the enormous America’s Cup entourage.

“Everyone at OMEGA is thrilled with this incredible result. We’ve followed ETNZ’s America’s Cup journey from the start and always believed they could win. They came to Bermuda with an inspiring team spirit as well as the best innovation possible and it was my personal pleasure to spend time with them and cheer them on. It’s a privilege for our brand to have played a part.” – Raynald Aeschlimann, the President and CEO of OMEGA

Omega sponsored Emirates Team New Zealand won the 35th America’s Cup

Emirates Team New Zealand has made sailing history by winning the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda After 22 decade famine, the Kiwis finally reclaimed the sport’s oldest trophy. As a proud sponsor and Official Timekeeper for the crew, Swiss watchmaker Omega is celebrating the victory and congratulating the team on their fine performance as well.

The New York Yacht Club held the famous silver trophy for a sporting record 132 years until Australia won it in 1983, but then lost in Fremantle in 1987 to Dennis Conner, who moved the venue to San Diego on America’s Pacific Coast.

26/06/2017 – Bermuda (BDA) – 35th America’s Cup 2017 – 35th America’s Cup 2017 Presented by Louis Vuitton, Day 5

The Kiwis first captured it in 1995 and successfully defended in Auckland in 2000, but lost the 2003 match to Swiss yacht Alinghi which, as Switzerland is land-bound, elected to defend in Valencia in Spain.

They retained “the auld mug”, as it is affectionately called, but next time around American computer billionaire Larry Ellison triumphed, sailing in catamarans rather than traditional monohulls. He chose to defend it in San Francisco in 2013, again in catamarans now up on foils and achieving incredible speeds. Superb TV coverage went worldwide for the first time. It seemed Ellison’s US$100 m investment had been lost when the Kiwis went 8-1 up in a first-to-nine series, but then incredibly the Americans made a comeback, race by excruciating race, to win 9-8.

26/06/2017 – Bermuda (BDA) – 35th America’s Cup 2017 – 35th America’s Cup 2017 Presented by Louis Vuitton, Day 5 – Emirates Team New Zealand Prize Giving

This month, in mid-Atlantic Bermuda, still a British dominion, the Omega sponsored Emirates Team New Zealand finally got their own back, winning 8-1 on the water and 7-1 because the defenders had a one point advantage, for complicated reasons, going into the final.

The Omega sponsored Emirates Team New Zealand are expected to defend the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland again, which will mean many more big boats plying Asia-Pacific waters to reach distant New Zealand, and luxury brand campaigns throughout the region starting almost straight away in the years-long lead-up to the event.

Japan was one of the challengers in the present event, and China is said to be considering entering for the first time. Australia, which has been missing recently, is also a likely participant in next-door New Zealand.

As well as co-sponsoring the Emirates team, Omega also equipped the crew with a specially-made Regatta watch for racing. The Speedmaster X-33 Regatta ETNZ included an ingenious Regatta function allowing the team to keep track of the critical five-minute countdown to the start of each race. Once racing was underway, the X-33 enabled the crew to measure progress.

The Speedmaster X-33 Regatta ETNZ included an ingenious Regatta function allowing the team to keep track of the critical five-minute countdown to the start of each race.