Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes in Multi-media Theatrical Performance for IWC Schaffhausen Gala

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — By now, it is
something of a tradition for Swiss watch manufacturers IWC Schaffhausen to
stage a spectacular gala evening as part of Geneva’s watch fair, the Salon
International de la Haute Horlogerie. This year’s event will be known
simply as “The Crossing.” Just over 140 years ago, F.A. Jones from Boston,
Massachusetts, set out on a journey that took him to Schaffhausen, where he
set up the International Watch Company. The gala will mark the official
launch of the IWC Vintage Collection - Jubilee Edition 1868-2008. This
latest collection is an elegant and fascinating encapsulation of 140 years
of company history. As a highlight of the evening, around 1,200 guests will
be treated to a short multi-media performance, Minutes of a Separation, by
Sydney Theatre Company. STC’s Co-Artistic Director Cate Blanchett will
appear on film and live performers will include renowned Australian
aerialists and acclaimed British actor, Joseph Fiennes.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080403/NYTH108 )

In spring 1868 Florentine Ariosto Jones embarked on the long voyage
across the Atlantic that took him to Europe. In his passport was a visa for
entry to Switzerland, issued by the Swiss embassy in Boston. As to the
purpose of his trip, Jones had written: “To set up a watchmaking company.”
He set off across the Atlantic with the idea of marrying Swiss watchmaking
traditions with American industrial know-how to manufacture watches of the
highest quality. To celebrate the company’s 140th anniversary, an enormous
set depicting Boston harbour as Jones would have experienced it back then
will be built in the Geneva Arena. Making their way past covered wagons,
crates and trunks, guests will board the “SV Scafusia,” before embarking on
a unique voyage back into the past.

One of the evening’s big highlights will be a 15-minutes multi-media
theatrical presentation produced exclusively for IWC by the acclaimed
Sydney Theatre Company, featuring Cate Blanchett on film and live
performances from Joseph Fiennes and aerialists from award-winning
Australian physical theatre company, Legs On The Wall. Minutes of a
Separation is directed by Nigel Jamieson, known for some of the world’s
most enthralling productions creating spectacular moments such as the Tin
Symphony during the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the
recent opening celebrations launching Liverpool as European Capital of
Culture 2008. He is also a celebrated stage director, with credits
including the recent Honour Bound seen at London’s Barbican in November.

Another of the evening’s highlights is a private concert by Alanis
Morissette. Canada’s first lady of rock ‘n’ roll has already won a total of
seven Grammy Awards, and guests can look forward to an exclusive foretaste
of her new album, “Flavors of Entanglement.”

Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, actors Jean Reno, Rinko Kikuchi, Chen Chang
and Sebastian Koch, Laureus sport legends Edwin Moses, Nadja Comaneci, Ilie
Nastase and Boris Becker, football legend Zinedine Zidane, author Paolo
Coelho and adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild: these and a
host of other well-known celebrities have already accepted the invitation
to be present at the IWC’s 2008 gala evening.

But the purpose of this exceptional evening is not only to honour our
company founder, F. A. Jones. To celebrate this 140th anniversary, six
milestones in IWC’s history as a watch manufacturer have been reinvented as
new “Vintage” models for the present. These models are not so much copies
as reinterpretations of old and timeless traditional designs. Where
historical authenticity demanded, the new watches have been equipped with
hand-wound movements. In the course of their journey into the present, the
dimensions of some of the new models have been increased. The collection
embraces the Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound, the Portuguese Hand-Wound, the
Ingenieur Automatic, the Aquatimer Automatic, the Da Vinci Automatic and,
finally, the Portofino Hand-Wound. The six watches in the IWC Vintage
Collection - Jubilee Edition 1868-2008 represent the founding legends of
the watch families still manufactured with pride today by IWC.

Photographic material relating to “The Crossing” will be freely
available online after the event at http://www.image.net. If you are not already
registered, you must do so by accessing http://www.image.net and by clicking on
“register.” Select the category “Fashion” to gain access to the
photographs.

Footage shot to broadcast news standards will be available for TV
stations to download on Wednesday April 9th at approx 4 am CET on
http://www.iwcbroadcast.com. The footage will also be available via APTN Feeds or
Beta SP.

Transmission for Asia:
09.04.2008 01.15-01.30 GMT
09.15-09.30 GMT
Transmission for Europe:
09.04.2008 07.00-07.15 GMT
19.15-19.30 GMT
Interested broadcasters should contact Media-link’s international team
on: +44 20 7845 7300.

SOURCE IWC via PRNewswire