Celebrities from Asia are continuously growing their clout, and this is more prominent than ever within the watch industry.
It is hard to ignore the influence of Asian stars. Luxury watch brands have definitely been taking notice of South Korean, Chinese and Thai celebrities.
These famous faces come with immensely huge fandoms possessing a high purchasing power, so it is only logical to see them being snapped up and appointed as ambassadors or “friends” of a brand.
They are not just appearing in campaigns too. One is even collaborating with a watchmaker to help design special timepieces.
Riding the K-wave
Perhaps the most prominent Asian influence is the power that K-pop stars wield.
Such South Korean artistes gather screaming crowds wherever they go. Their adoring fans have their own special names as well – like “MY” for those who love Aespa, or “Blink” for Blackpink fans.
Lisa of Blackpink has worked with Bulgari to help design watches.
Lisa was appointed as ambassador for the watchmaker back in 2020. Recently in January, she unveiled a second collaborative Bulgari watch. Her first was released last year.
The latest timepiece embodies Lisa’s aesthetic while emulating Bulgari’s exquisite craftsmanship. Using 400 hand-cut mother-of-pearl tiles to decorate the dial and create a geometric motif, each watch shows individuality and flair.
Lisa wears her latest collaborative Bulgari watch in the campaign.
“The alliance between Bulgari and Lisa was a self-evident choice – both share an inherently visionary spirit. Lisa’s modern take on the iconic piece shines through thanks to her choice and meticulous design of the bracelet of this brilliant, limited-edition watch,” reads the statement released by Bulgari.
It is indeed a captivating creation, inspired by the Edelweiss flower (Lisa’s favourite) and the majestic Alps.
Another Blackpink member snapped up by a luxury watch brand is Jisoo. She joined the Cartier family in 2022, and has been regularly seen wearing different Cartier watches to high-profile events.
Jisoo wore Cartier watches even before becoming an ambassador for the brand. Pictured here is a snapshot from her Instagram in 2021, with the Cartier Tank Francaise clearly shown.
There are also other K-pop girl groups associated with the horological world.
Aespa was appointed by Chopard as ambassadors in 2022. The four members of the group have appeared in numerous campaigns since then,
“It was instantly clear that the abundant talent and joie de vivre exuded by Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning was the ideal fit for Chopard key collections,” Chopard’s statement reads.
The four members of Aespa have been Chopard’s ambassadors since 2022.
Last year, the four women were seen promoting Chopard’s well-loved Alpine Eagle watch. This is a stunning timepiece model inspired by the Alps and the imperious strength of the majestic eagle.
The year before, they brought their energy and vivaciousness into the ad visuals and video for the Chopard Happy Sport watch.
Other famous faces from South Korea fronting watch campaigns include actors and actresses.
Wi Ha-joon for example, was appointed as ambassador for TAG Heuer in 2022. It was the same year that Han So-hee joined Omega – while Hyun Bin became Omega’s ambassador in 2020.
All three are said to embody the spirit of the brand they are representing, which includes having great style.
Bae Su-ji (better known as Bae Suzy or simply Suzy), bringing together both the worlds of music and acting, is the face of Longines. When the singer-actress was appointed as ambassador in 2022, Longines named the Spirit collection as her favourite.
Jackson Wang – who hails from Hong Kong, but is famous for being part of South Korean boy band GOT7 – has been a face of Cartier since 2019.
“There’s no final destination in life, but every step towards your goal, every chapter in your history, is a big time for me. Just trust yourself and write your own history,” his comment released by Cartier reads.
There is also actor Kim Soo-hyun. He fronted Mido’s Ocean Star Decompression Worldtimer watch last year and has been an ambassador since 2021. The diving timepiece is designed to withstand any conditions and to do it with flair.
Kim Soo-hyun sports the Ocean Star Decompression Worldtimer on his wrist.
The diversity of Asia
Other Asian stars hail from countries like China and Thailand.
Recently in February, TAG Heuer named actor Liu Haoran as its ambassador. The announcement was made in the lead up to the Lunar New Year, which then saw him showing off the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year Of The Dragon in the campaign.
In the first advertising campaign of the partnership, Liu Haoran is wearing the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Year Of The Dragon.
“TAG Heuer has a rich heritage in watchmaking, consistently leading in innovation. Its connection to motorsports is also profoundly appealing to me,” Liu says of his appointment by TAG Heuer.
The star power of China’s celebrities is indisputable.
Zenith watches even sold out after Chinese actor-singer Xiao Zhan was named as Zenith’s ambassador in 2021.
Another longtime watch ambassador is Eddie Peng. The actor from Taiwan joined the Longines family way back in 2014 and is still with the brand – described as having “innate class, presence and charisma”.
Chinese actress Zhao Liying became one of Longines’ ambassadors in 2017. It was on the occasion of the brand’s 185th anniversary. She also attended the Longines Ladies’ Timepiece Exhibition last year.
Zhao Liying wears the Longines Record automatic model in her campaign visual.
A more recent force is the Thai-wave. The past couple of years or so have seen celebrities from Thailand getting more attention within the luxury goods industry.
A good example is Win Metawin, who has been seen at all the major fashion events in his home country and around the world. Win was spotted at the Omega “Her Time” exhibition launch in Bangkok in 2022, where he met with the brand’s ambassador, Han.
Win and Han were spotted at the Omega “Her Time” Bangkok launch in 2022.
Other Thai celebrities that have been courted by watch brands include Mario Maurer and Kao Supassra (both for Longines), as well as the likes of Araya Hargate (Chopard) and Davika Hoorne (Bulgari).
Maurer and Supassra have been named as “friends of the brand” by Longines.
Not forgetting that Lisa herself is Thai. Born Pranpriya Manobal, she grew up in Thailand – later making her big break into the K-pop industry as one of its foremost stars.
All these Asian stars prove that they are a strong force in showbiz, as well as an influence to be reckoned with when it comes to the world of horology.
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