Red Bull X-Fighters Swatch The
Club Event, Madrid, Spain, 17 to 18-JUL-2008
On 17 and 18-JUL-2008, a Swatch The Club
event took place in Madrid, Spain. About 17 collectors
participated at the event, so it was a rather small event. Lots
of time to talk, though :-)
The reason for the Club event was the
following: The launch of
the FMX ("freestyle moto cross") Swatch Special Mat
Rebeaud (YOZ100)
by Swatch ProTeam
member Mat Rebeaud
during the Red
Bull X-Fighters Event in Madrid.
We met on a warm and sunny day at the Rafael Hotel Ventas conveniently located in walking distance near the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, the location of the Red Bull X-Fighters Event.
As you can see, the reception desk was
rather small this time :-)
excellent fingerfood for lunch
a huge wall in the hotel shows a view of the bullring from an airplane
In the early afternoon, we walked to the Plaza
de Toros de Las Ventas bullring to join the launch press
conference of the Mat Rebeaud Swatch special.
Shortly afterwards, we arrived at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas.
Situated in the barrio of Guindalera
in the district of Salamanca, it was inaugurated on June 17,
1931. It has a seating capacity of 25,000 and is regarded as the home
of bullfighting in Spain and arguably in the world. Here
is some information about the bullfights which also take place at the
Las Ventas bullring.
price of the tickets depends on if you sit in the shadow (more
expensive!) or in the sun (cheaper!)
an interesting statue
At a side entrance of the bullring, a
special sign indicated the entrance door for the press conference:
lots of fingerfood and drinks were served...
After a few minutes, the press conference
began. Mat Rebeaud (middle) was joined by Klaus-Peter Mager (Head
of PR & Events at Swatch, on the right)-
Finally, the special watchwas officially
unveiled:
The watch is limited to 10000 pcs. I
think that the design is superb and the special packaging fits quite
excellent to the watch. One of the best special in recent times:
picture by Swatch
picture by Swatch
After the press conference, it was time
for a city sightseeing tour with an open double decker bus:
Madrid also has a "Ritz" hotel
Palacio de Comunicaciones
(Communications Palace) at the Placa de Cibeles
Palacio Real
(Royal Palace)
After an exhausting 90 minute trip on the bus (36 deg. Celsius!), we had dinner at a traditional spanish restaurant near the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas bullring:
a huge encyclopedia about bullfighting! 20 books about rules,
techniques, biographies etc.!
Click here to
read page 2 ("Red Bull X-Fighters flying...") of my report from the
Swatch The Club Event in Madrid.