OMEGA'S FAMILY OF AMBASSADORS

[Houston]

ERNIE ELS - PROFESSIONAL GOLFER

Theodore Ernest “Ernie” Els is a South African golfer and has been one of the top professionals since the mid 1990. Known as The Big Easy for his imposing stature along with his fluid and effortless golf swing.

Ernie started playing golf at the age of 8 and turned pro at the end of 1989. Tournament victories include the US and British Open championships, the 2004 European Tour and 6 World Match Play Championships. Ernie Els has been ranked at number one on several occasions and holds the world record of being in the Top Ten of the Official World Gold Rankings.

When not playing Ernie Els he spends time at his golf course design business and is enthusiastically involved in charitable foundations, one of which supports underprivileged children in his native South Africa, makes wine and of course is an honoured member of Omega’s Family of Ambassadors.

Pictures - omegawatches.com

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[Houston]

MEHGAN HEANEY-GRIER - PROFESSIONAL FREE DIVER

Mehgan Heaney-Grier is a professional free diver, accomplished model, actress and spokeswoman for several companies. She rose to fame in her main career when at the age of 23, she took the US free dive record for both men and women by diving unassisted to a depth of 155 feet on a single breath of air. Less than a year later, Mehgan took that record to 165 feet

Mehgan has her roots in Minnesota and began entering beauty contests at the tender age of 14. It wasn’t until she was 17 that Mehgan learned how to freedive to depth. Although her accomplishments have been the product of dedication and hard work, she is nevertheless quick to credit her success to her faith in God and the support of her family and soon became a role model for kids and teens. Mehgan has been active as brand ambassador for OMEGA since 2000.

Trivia –

Mehgan can hold her breath for 4 minutes, 36 seconds

She captained the first-ever US Freedive Team to the World Cup in Sardinia

She had been freediving with sharks for over 9 years and has hands-on experience working with over 5 species of sharks including Tiger Sharks and Hammerheads

Mehgan was inducted into the Women Divers Hall Of Fame in 2000.

She has been a stunt double for Jessica Alba, Olivia Wilde and Keira Knightley


Personal Quotes –

"Fear is a product of the lack of knowledge and experience once you understand that, overcoming your fear is a clear cut path that you can either travel down, or live with it."

"I take all of the safety precautions that I can, after that I am putting myself in God's hands."

"Whether it's a curse or a blessing, once the sea is in your soul you are never whole without it, and eventually you will end up at it's shore again. It is an addiction."

"There is magic in being passionate about something. Passion gives you a sense of being alive like nothing else."


"Going down, it's technique. Coming up, it's determination and heart."

Pictures – omegawatches.com

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[Houston]

NICOLE KIDMAN - ACTRESS AND HUMANITARIAN

Oscar-winning actress Nicole Mary Kidman has been an ambassador for OMEGA since 2005. Initially signed to be the face of the brand in the Far East, the scope of her association with OMEGA was extended in the autumn of the same year. In addition to public appearances for the company, such as the opening of OMEGA’s flagship boutique in Geneva as seen here

Nicole has taken a very prominent role in promoting the range of “ My Choice ” Constellations.

Her enjoyment of and spirited participation in a diversity of challenges has seen Nicole in partnership with OMEGA, affirm their joint commitment to UNICEF. This was celebrated with Nicole launching the Constellation Quadrella in Tokyo and signing watches for auction, the proceeds of which were to benefit UNICEF Japan. Nicole Kidman's professional work and dedicated efforts in various worthwhile causes makes her an ideal ambassadress for OMEGA.

AWARDS AND TRIVIA

In recognition of her service to the performing arts and numerous charitable causes, Honolulu-born Nicole was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in January 2006 although it wasn’t until April 2007 that she was presented with the honour owing to her busy schedule

Nicole has also been nominated as Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM

In 2003, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in her leading role in The Hours and has won the Golden Globe Award on three occasions in 1996 ( To Die For ), 2002( Moulin Rouge ) and 2003 ( The Hours )

Because she was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, Nicole Kidman is a citizen of both the United States and Australia

She is a fervent crusader against child abuse saying in October 1999 “ Children should be allowed to grow up without fear of cruelty ”

A supporter of the Democratic Party, she contributed to Hilary Clinton’s campaign for a seat in the US Senate representing New York State and endorsed John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential election

In August 2006, along with 84 other Hollywood professionals, Nicole Kidman’s name was included in an advertisement placed in the Los Angeles Times condemning terrorist organisations

Nicole is married to country singer Keith Urban and has two adopted children, Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony

Nicole won an undisclosed sum from British tabloids that published false allegations about her private life and donated the money to a Romanian orphanage in the town where Cold Mountain was filmed

Pictures - omegawatches.com

[Houston]

ANNA KOURNIKOVA

Born in Moscow, Anna Kournikova learned to play tennis when at age seven, her father began teaching her on a daily basis. At eleven, Anna and her mother later migrated to the United States where she began training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Anna was soon to became one of the best known tennis players worldwide with her specialty being in doubles, where she had at times been the world's No.1 doubles player. With Martina Hingis as her partner, she won 16 doubles titles including the Grand Slam titles in Australia in 1999 and 2002.

With nagging back injuries Anna made her final appearance on the professional circuit in 2003 and underwent back surgery. Despite her absence from the pro circuit, her star continues to shine as with her stunning good looks, Anna ventured into modeling and garnered lucrative endorsement deals and while she no longer plays tennis for a living, she is a regular participant in many exhibition and charity events for good causes.

Anna Kournikova has been an ambassador for OMEGA since September 2000. Always presentable and being naturally at ease, both in company and in front of the camera, she slips readily into her role as brand ambassador for OMEGA

and has appeared at numerous OMEGA-events all over the world

beginning with Hong Kong in 2001 and various locations in the Far East to St Moritz, New York, Berlin, Mexico City and more recently Valencia, in support of fellow OMEGA Ambassador Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand.

FACTS AND TRIVIA

"I found my first racquets under the Christmas tree," Anna recalls, "but I found out later that my parents sold one of their TVs to get me those racquets."

Before moving to the United States, Anna was a member of the prestigious Spartak Tennis Club, coached by the husband of Russian pro Olga Morozova.

Nick Bollettieri had this to say of her - "Anna is a shotmaker. She has the ability to create situations on the court that very few people can create. And at the net she's brilliant. She hits volleys from all angles. The only person I could compare her to is John McEnroe."

At 14, Anna become the youngest player ever to win a Fed Cup match and captured the European Championships and Italian Open juniors. At the close of 1995, she was ranked No. 1 and crowned as ITF Junior World Champion.

After a promising start to her career, she never won a pro singles tournament but managed a consistent top-20 ranking Her best ranking in tennis was number 8 in the world in 2000

"She's a gorgeous young woman who's very fit and works hard at her profession and is in the top ten in the world," says 18-time-Grand-Slam winner Chris Evert. "I think she's good for tennis."

Indeed, her playing style fits the profile for a doubles player, and is complemented by her height. Anna has been compared to such players as Pam Shriver and Peter Fleming who were very successful exponents of the doubles game

In September of 2003, she sustained an injury to her lower back and worked as an on-site reporter for the U.S. networks coverage of the U.S. Open. But, as of March 2004, Anna retired from professional tennis due to chronic lower back trouble

Since her retirement from the professional circuit, Anna has played tennis in support of various good causes ranging from AIDS foundation to Tsunami Relief, from assistance in respect of relief from Hurricane Katrina to hospitals and childrens’ charities

Anna assisted in the design of the OMEGA Constellation Bangle watch which she presented to Nicolas Hayek at the launch of two new ladies collections at OMEGA’s flagship store in Switzerland in September 2001

Pictures - omegawatches.com

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IN HER OWN WORDS

OMEGA AMBASSADOR CINDY CRAWFORD

Born in DeKalb, Illinois, Cindy Crawford became one of the world’s first supermodels and has appeared on over 500 magazine covers including Vogue, W, People, Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and Allure.

She has also been at the forefront of many fashion campaigns during her career, including those for Gianni Versace, Escada, Revlon, and Ink. Having a successful career as an entrepreneur and spokesperson for several companies and charitable organisations, Cindy’s timeless appeal of being “ The Girl Next Door ” endows upon her an approachability that allows consumers to relate to her and infers a trust in her which makes Cindy an invaluable asset in the role of a representative.

Of her, the famous designer Karl Lagerfeld has said: "She is a classical beauty and the all-American dream girl." She was nicknamed "Baby Gia" when she entered the modeling industry because of her resemblance to late supermodel, Gia Carangi who, despite her short career was widely regarded as the first ever supermodel.

As an Ambassador for Omega since 1995, Cindy has been active in promoting and representing OMEGA and to this day, continues in her role as a worldwide spokesperson for OMEGA Watches. Her universal appeal and popularity around the globe has resulted in many international assignments for OMEGA in countries as diverse as India, Russia, China, New Zealand and Dubai. Her expertise and experience was invaluable to OMEGA when she was called upon to assist them in repositioning their advertising, the new campaign of which was launched to worldwide acclaim during The London Fashion Week in September 2003.

Discovered by chance when a newspaper reporter took a picture of her when then as a 16-year-old, she worked at her summer job pollinating corn, the photo and positive feedback convinced Cindy to take up modeling as a career.

Cindy’s name and face have been synonymous with the launch of numerous new brands as well as the repositioning of some classic names such as Revlon and Pepsi. Indeed her 1993 Pepsi commercial remains one of the most notable and award-winning of all time and her second campaign for them in 2002 which was entitled “ Always A Classic” serves to highlight the timeless quality of her beauty, presence and personality.

Highly active in numerous charitable organisations, Cindy devotes half of her calendar sales to assisting in leukemia research. Cindy, her husband Rande Gerber and their two children Presley and Kaya reside in Los Angeles, California.

In a warm welcome to her website, Cindy Crawford penned these words –


Welcome to Cindy.com. We've spent a great deal of time updating and recreating the look and feel of this site. That time allowed me to take a moment and reflect on how fortunate I've been. I've had an amazing run and am blessed with a wonderful, healthy family. I love what I do, but it's not who I am. This website is to share some other aspects of me with you.

Here's what you don't see in the pictures:



I always knew I wanted a family. I love being a mom even more than I thought I would.

I'm not a party girl.

I wake up early.

I go to "Mommy and Me," and the supermarket and the playground.



I love to read - mostly fiction.

I hardly ever look at fashion magazines.

I'm not bad at bowling - I actually had it in high school gym class.

My husband thinks I'm a good cook.

My favorite vacations combine beach and family.

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I know how lucky I've been.




Thanks Cindy, like OMEGA, we know how lucky we are.






Pictures - omegawatches.com

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[Houston]

OMEGA AMBASSADOR - MICHELLE WIE

In February 2006, OMEGA announced that young golf superstar Michelle Wie would joined Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia in the luxury brand’s family of international golfing ambassadors. Being a sport of character, golf is a perfect complement to a watch manufacturer like Omega. The prestige Swiss brand is one of the few watchmakers in the world to boast a history and tradition that can compete with that of the noble sport of golf.

At Crans Montana with Sergio Garcia, Gene Cernan and Stephen Urquhart

Michelle Wie was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on 11 October 1989. She was four when she first began playing golf. Her coach was her father, B.J. Wie. At the age of ten, Michelle became the youngest player ever to qualify for a USGA amateur championship, the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. By eleven, Michelle had won nearly all the junior events she had entered. In 2002, she was the youngest semi-finalist ever in a USGA amateur championship. Ever since the beginning, Michelle Wie has proved herself one of the longest hitters ever, routinely knocking her drives over a distance of 300 yards. The following year, Michelle became the youngest ever to win the US Women’s Amateur Public Links. As the youngest person, she is just the fourth female ever to play in a PGA tour event, when on January 15, 2004 she teed off at the Sony Open.

Michelle turned professional on October 5 2005, just a week before celebrating her 16th birthday. At the same time, she pledged $500,000 towards the relief fund set up to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. On February 22, 2006, Michelle was ranked 3rd in the women’s world golf rankings. In addition to all the golf tournaments she plays, Michelle Wie attends Stanford University with 2007 being her “freshman” year.

Michelle’s first tournament in her new partnership with OMEGA was at the Fields Open, organised in Kapolei, Hawaii, from 23 to 25 February 2006. She marked the event by wearing the pink Omega Ladies Speedmaster Automatic ( please refer Ladies Watch of The Day October 8 2007 ).


OMEGA's international ambassadors add a special touch to events and reinforce OMEGA's association with competitive professional sports. As a manufacturer of prestige timepieces for more than 150 years, the company attaches great importance to long-term relationships with prominent spokespersons for the brand. Well-known international celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Nicole Kidman and Michael Schumacher are all partners of OMEGA and are quite naturally regarded as part of a family. Of Michelle, Stephen Urquhart, President of Omega had this to say -

“Omega is proud to welcome Michelle Wie to the Ambassadors’ Family. With her talent and dedication to performance, Michelle has a promising future ahead of her. She sets an example for the new generation of golfers by combining feminine grace with power and technique.”

For her part, Michelle Wie explained her reasons for accepting OMEGA’s invitation to be an international spokesperson for the brand –

"OMEGA’s golfing family includes some of the world's best players. I am very happy to be associated with the brand and to join one of my golfing idols, Ernie Els, on the Omega team. Omega watches have a great reputation for performing best under pressure, so I am going to wear an Omega watch in every golf tournament that I play as I share that objective. I am honoured to be a partner with the prestigious OMEGA company and its quality products. I am confident this will be a fantastic partnership”.

Michelle practising at Crans Montana where she also met Jacques Rogge President of the IOC






Pictures - omegawatches.com

[Houston]

SIRINYA ‘CINDY’ BURBRIDGE

Sirinya ‘ Cindy ’ Burbridge was born Cynthia Carmen Burbridge and is a model and actress. Cindy was raised in Pattaya, Thailand by her American father William Burbridge and her English-Thai-Indian mother, Patricia. Cindy who is a qualified rescue diver was taught how to dive at an early age by her father.

Cindy notched up her first modelling assignment for a commercial shot in water. It came about when an acquaintance of her father who owned a scuba diving equipment shop required a model who could dive. In 1996, Cindy won the Miss Thailand World Pageant, and was a contestant in the Miss World Contest in 1996. Since then she has featured in high profile campaigns for Chanel, Celine, Lux Skincare, Lavenus Haircare, Gucci, Fendi, Mazda, Nescafe and of course OMEGA for whom Cindy was the maiden face of the Ladies De-Ville Co-Axial Chronometer.

Cindy graduated from university in Public Relations and in addition to her pressing commercial engagements also recently opened a Japanese restaurant in Bangkok, the Ikkyu-an with her long-time fiance and now husband, Byron Bishop.

A campaigner in pursuit of environmental issues, Cindy has lent her presence in the causes of WildAid in an effort to make younger people more aware of environmental issues. Of this, Cindy once said, "It's a slow and painful process. The challenge is to make [conservation] a responsibility for everyone". Cindy along with her husband are supporters of the Camillian Center an organisation dedicated to the taking care of those who can no longer take care of themselves which supports HIV sufferers and last-stage AIDS patients. The Camillian Center also has a section for children orphaned by AIDS, and for HIV infected children. There is also a shelter for poor AIDS patients and people abandoned by their families. Apart from her work throughout the year, Cindy and her family come to participate in the children’s New Year activities on an annual basis, helping to assure the youngsters that they are still loved and accepted and that they are no different to any other child.

With her natural flair and beauty, her concern and close touch with the environment and society, Cindy Burbridge is without doubt, the Perfect OMEGA Ambassador.

Pictures - omegawatches.com

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ZIN
Not usually shaken nor stirred ;D ;D ;D

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