TAG Heuer has named Joseph Schooling, Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist, as its newest Friend of the Brand. The swimmer will be sporting the TAG Heuer Aquaracer, which is the brand’s sports watch inspired by the aquatic world.
The brand’s involvement and commitment to the world of sports convinced Schooling that the brand shares the same philosophy as he does. There is also an emotional layer to his decision: The first Swiss watch that Schooling owned was a TAG Heuer timepiece, gifted to him from his parents. Colin and May Schooling are TAG Heuer collectors themselves, possessing an Aquagraph, the predecessor to today’s Aquaracer, a vintage Heuer Monaco, amongst others. So, Schooling, the gifted swimmer from a young age, grew up in the company of TAG Heuer timepieces.
Born in 1995 to May and Colin Schooling in Singapore, Schooling won the hearts of Singaporeans and international swim fans by snagging the 100m butterfly gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. With a time of 50.39 seconds, he set a new Olympic record, beating multiple Olympic-medal winner Michael Phelps’ record of 50.58 seconds set at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
“I’m deeply honored to be appointed a Friend of TAG Heuer. As a professional athlete, I face many different types of situations, some of which pushes me into a corner. But only the strongest succeed. That’s why I live by and resonate with the philosophy of #DONTCRACKUNDERPRESSURE, which is TAG Heuer’s tagline. Through this partnership, I hope TAG Heuer and I can encourage and inspire the younger generation to beat all odds, overcome challenges and scale greater heights,” said Schooling.
On the appointment of Schooling, Ms Amelia Sillard, Vice-President of TAG Heuer, South-East Asia said, “TAG Heuer is very proud to welcome Joseph Schooling to join our family of athletes. We saw how Joseph’s story has inspired many youths to work hard and pursue their dreams. Through him, I can see TAG Heuer connecting with the millennials and the younger generations, communicating the brand’s Avant-Garde spirit—a philosophy of doing things that pushes us to innovate, to be disruptive, and to take risks. It is a new interpretation of Don’t Crack Under Pressure which, I hope, will inspire the youths of today.”
