For its first year at SUN ’n FUN, Swiss watchmaker Alpina made a big splash.
The new official timekeeper of the fly-in, Alpina also is a sponsor of airshow star Michael Goulian.
The company also exhibited at SUN ’n FUN for the first time, displaying a variety of watches in its exhibit on the Warbird Ramp, right next to Goulian’s trailer.
“Michael Goulian’s personality and extreme aerobatic talents compliment the status of the Alpina brand in pilot watches,” says Oliver Van Lanschot Hubrecht, Alpina brand manager. “We are thrilled to see what is to come for Michael’s flight excursions this year while working with us.”
This year, Goulian will appear at 10 airshows in the United States, as well as eight Red Bull Air Race World Championship events around the world, Hubrecht noted.
According to company officials, Goulian embodies an “Alpinist,” which is someone who lives by the Alpinist principles: Be perserverant. Think independently. Trust your instincts. Don’t forget your roots.
The alpinist always seeks performance and progress when facing a challenge in extremely demanding environments, company officials added.
Alpina manufactures watches for the most demanding environments, like the air, for example, said Morgane Leynaud, Alpina’s marketing manager, who was at the company’s SUN ’n FUN booth.
“Michael really entails what an alpinist is because he is really strong in a crazy environment — the air — so we think he is the perfect match to our brand,” she said.
She noted that the company partners with a variety of ambassadors around the world who thrive in harsh environments, like the mountains or diving in the ocean.
“Our three big environments are air, land, and sea, and we have ambassadors for the land and sea, but we didn’t have anybody for air,” she said.
That’s when they set their sites on Goulian and SUN ‘n FUN.
“We feel that it’s the perfect audience to reach, just to let them know that we have amazing pilot watches at an affordable price,” she said.
While the company makes a variety of timepieces, it’s biggest seller is the pilot watch line, she noted.
“For many years, we have seen that pilot watches are our best collection and the strongest in terms of style and volume of business,” she said. “We wanted this year to emphasize this, so we decided to partner with Michael Goulian.”
“I’m honored and humbled to be partnering with Alpina,” Goulian said. “Their dedication to innovation, excellence, perseverance and adventure are traits that my team and I live by every day. We’re excited to help Alpina show the world their beautiful line of pilot watches.”
