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Learn to Fly Under Water, Then Tell the World About it

UPDATE: Dates for our Underwater Flight Discovery experience have been set for July 16th and 17th.

CLERC – the first and only Swiss luxury watch company with its own line of personal luxury submersibles – invites carefully-selected members of press and media to learn how to fly under water. Then tell the world about it!

If you were at Baselworld last March, you may have seen footage of Super Aviator at the CLERC booth. This amazing and unique submersible is the precursor to Orcasub – the personal luxury submersible we are producing and marketing in partnership with Nuytco/Sub Aviator Systems in Vancouver, Canada. In a way, you could say it’s Orcasub 1.0.

These super-fast, easy-to-use, and maneuverable submersibles can fly two pilots in atmospheric comfort and safety down to 2,000 feet. In all human history until now, people who have personally witnessed life at such depths can be counted on a single hand. But now CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems are putting underwater flight at anyone’s hands – anyone, that is, who happens to be a member of the press or media interested in sharing this unforgettable experience with their audience!

Because in the second half of July this year, CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems will be hosting press and media guests at the Vancouver manufacture for an exclusive two-day Underwater Flight Discovery experience.

DAY ONE will include a full guided tour of the factory and R&D facilities at Nuytco Headquarters. Evoking the quintessential “Q Branch” scene in every James Bond movie is the best way to describe this experience. For a quick glimpse, check this out or visit our dedicated Facebook page.

DAY TWO consists of pre-flight instruction and certification. After successful completion of this phase, “students” gear up, head out to the water shore, and jump into a Super Aviator cockpit to experience hands-on underwater flight.

Guests who have already booked this event are bringing video crews with them – including underwater photographers. If you qualify and would like to reserve your underwater flight discovery experience with us, email us at: openwater@clercwatches.wpengine.com or catch us on Twitter or Facebook. Seats are extremely limited – we will do our best to accommodate as many guest as we can. Thank you for your understanding.

CLERC is defining a new extreme luxury category, and opening a new era in the history of human exploration machines. You may not have ridden on the first train, on flown on the first airplane, or sat inside the first space mission rocket. But now thanks to CLERC, you might very well be among the few chosen human beings to have experienced underwater flight up close and personal in 2015!

Filed Under: CLERC Life, Collection, Exploration Tagged With: exosuit, exploration, exploration machines, flight, hydroscaph, james bond, NASA, nuytco, orcasub, phil nuytten, submarine, submersible, super aviator, superaviator, underwater, underwater flight discovery, vancouver

CLERC at the Singapore Yacht Show

What was Gérald Clerc, a personal submarine, and a collection of Hydroscaph watches doing at the Singapore Yacht Show last month anyway? Besides hosting some VIP guests on Arthur Tay‘s private mega-yacht (who also happens to own the Singapore Marina)?

Setting up an event for CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems (SAS) of course! People walking up to the booth there were able to discover both the Orcasub personal luxury submersible model and CLERC Hydroscaph watches as Gerald, CLERC CEO, and John Jo Lewis, Managing Director of SAS worked the booth together welcoming hundreds of intrigued visitors – it’s not every year you see a personal luxury submersible at the Singapore Yacht Show!

Yet personal luxury submersibles are very desirable to the super-wealthy who frequent the show. Why? Because they love to bring various “toys” on their mega-yachts. And while many of them carry helicopters, speed boats, jet skis, and all sorts of other fancy machines, very few, if any, actually have personal submarines on board.

Orcasub is unique in the way it can easily be transported and launched from aboard a luxury yacht. It’s both easy, quick, and economical to use in several outboard or onboard configurations. With its compact profile and folding wings, Orcasub can fit on almost any sized yacht. And it’s easy to deploy right into the water on a moment’s notice.

Imagine spotting a great whale or a pack of Orcas in the middle of the ocean, stopping your yacht, climbing aboard your personal submarine, and quickly launching to follow them under water? Sub Aviator Systems and CLERC now make this a soon-to-be very popular reality.

Filed Under: CLERC Life Tagged With: 2015, gerald, hydroscaph, marina, orcasub, singapore, sub aviator systems, yacht

Looking back at Baselworld 2015

It’s been a short while since Baselworld 2015 of course yet so much has happened since then already! CLERC had an amazing run during the show. First, we unveiled our new GMT models of course. This new Hydroscaph series is rated for 800m depth and sports a 42 hour power reserve. The version with the gold hands and numerals and brown rubberized alligator bracelet was showered with compliments from press and retailers alike. Brown is back!

Second, we officially announced our multi-level partnership with Nuytco Sub Aviator Systems – this means CLERC will be the first and only watch company to offer its own line of personal luxury submersibles. We brought a reduced sized model of this exploration machine on the stand where it welcomed our numerous guests every day. And this video played non-stop all day long at the stand causing many to simply stop and watch in awe.

With this new initiative and Orcasub, CLERC is essentially defining a new underwater flight luxury segment. Reaction from press, bloggers, and retailers was very inquisitive – and very positive. The first version of Orcasub – aka Super Aviator – will start traveling the globe in 2015. And several VIP clients have already expressed interest in custom-building an Orcasub for themselves.

Last, but certainly not least, CLERC is very happy to announce that 2015 will see the opening of new retail locations in Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, St Marten, Aruba, St Thomas, Egypt, Dubai, and Moscow. We are expanding in existing key markets and entering new ones in Central and South America.

Did you miss us at Baselworld this year? Don’t worry! And come see us at JCK in Las Vegas May 29 to June 1st! Appointments are now being made for the largest Watch and Jewelery show in the United States so don’t miss out!

 

Filed Under: CLERC Life Tagged With: 2015, baselworld, booth, GMT, markets, orcasub, retail, sub aviator

Baselworld 2015 Announcements

NEW! All our Baselworld PDF press releases and associated photos are now available on the CLERC Dropbox location.

CLERC is pleased to share two major announcements this year at Baselworld:

1. A recent partnership with American personal luxury submersible producer Sub Aviator Systems marks a new phase in the history of CLERC.  You can download official press releases and photos here:

PDF press releases: [English] [French]

Photos: [Web] [High-resolution] [Printable]
>> To Download: click on the link, then right-click and Save as image…

2. A new member of the Hydroscaph family has arrived! The new GMT Power-Reserve Chronometer makes its first appearance at the Baselworld fair this year. Download the official press releases and photos here:

PDF press releases: [English] [French]

Photos (regular): [Web] [High-resolution] [Printable]
>> To Download: click on the link, then right-click and Save as image…

Photos (night-view): [Web] [High-resolution] [Printable]
>> To Download: click on the link, then right-click and Save as image…

Filed Under: Press Releases Tagged With: 2015, baselworld, GMT, orcasub, press release

Baselworld 2015: Discover the Orcasub Personal Luxury Submersible

For the latest, up-to-date information on Orcasub visit CLERC Exploration Machines on Facebook.

We’ve always said the Hydroscaph diving watch collection was a “new breed of Swiss luxury watches” but in fact, CLERC is further evolving into a new breed of Swiss luxury watch company and forging a new era in the industry.

This is because we have entered into a long-term, multi-level partnership with Sub Aviator Systems, the producers of Orcasub – a Personal Luxury Submersible.Logo-01

Both CLERC and Sub Aviator Systems make what they call “exploration machines”. While CLERC’s powerful yet stylish machines fit handsomely on the adventurous male wrist, Sub Aviator Systems submersibles fly swiftly at 2,000 feet under water. In both cases, these creations are meant to be used in the most extreme of conditions. But it didn’t take our two companies very long to realize that the fit between us was much more than skin-deep.

In fact, you could say it’s symbiotic, because we both share philosophies, values, personalities, and engineering savvy. With this new partnership, we will also share the sort of technical and R&D resources which until now had never been available to traditional Swiss watch companies. Not to mention a combined 200 year legacy of innovation and technical prowess.

NEWT_logo2That’s because Sub Aviator Systems is actually manufacturing partners with a company called Nuytco. And Nuytco is to underwater exploration what NASA is to the Space Program. In fact, NASA astronauts train at Nuytco’s underwater facilities in Vancouver. Owner Phil Nuytten is a legend in the industry on par with men like Jean-Michel Cousteau, who is a close friend and colleague. (He still maintains ties to the Cousteau family). A commercial diver since the 1960s, Phil spent his life pioneering new underwater technologies and tactics. Few if any people have contributed as much to the world of diving – commercially, militarily, and recreationally – than he has for the past fifty years.

red2
CLERC CEO Gérald sits in the Nuytco Deepworker submersible.

Nuytco has been involved in almost every major underwater operation for science, research, rescue, construction, entertainment, and military application known to man. Phil’s regular clients include the national Navies of virtually every country in the world, the US Navy Seals, NASA, Hollywood moguls (guess how movie classics like Titanic and The Abyss were filmed under water), scientists, researchers, rescuers, and the list goes on. When there’s a problem to solve, a new device or tool to invent, or technical limits to surmount, people call on Nuytco.

For CLERC, the ability to tap into this experience and expertise is an industry game changer. The advantages from a product development, research, manufacturing, and testing perspective are limitless. Improved construction, new materials, greater depths, added safety features, and resilience are some of the key benefits. And no other dive watch companies will be able to test their product for corrosion, legibility, air and water pressure, extreme temperatures, and shock all at the same time and all under real-life extreme depth conditions. Something Nuytco does routinely for all its equipment, and will now do on every new Hydroscaph model starting with the new 2015 GMT model. In many ways, thanks to this partnership, CLERC gets access to the most revered and prestigious “underwater exploration laboratory” in the world.

For Sub Aviator Systems, it’s about accessing 140 years of CLERC experience in the demanding field of luxury, as CLERC will now market and promote the Orcasub personal luxury crafts on a global scale. CLERC will also advise on interior finishing, customization, and comfort features of the cockpit area.

sub-gc
CLERC CEO Gérald tries the heads-up display on board Orcasub precursor Super Aviator.

These super-fast, easy-to-use, and maneuverable submersibles will fly two pilots in atmospheric comfort and safety down to 2,000 feet. In all human history until now, people who have personally witnessed life at such depths can be counted on a single hand. But Orcasub will put underwater flight at anyone’s hands – anyone, that is, who can part with the $2 million it takes to custom-build it. But rest assured, that price includes complete Flight Training certification. A lifetime experience no one ever forgets!

CLERC is forging a new era in the history of human exploration machines. And thanks to Sub Aviator Systems and CLERC, deep-sea exploration will soon become as routine as hopping into your exotic car for a quick trip to the local cigar shop.

For a PDF version of this exciting announcement, please click here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: CLERC Life, Manufacture Tagged With: 2015, announcements, baselworld, nuytco, orcasub, partnership, personal luxury, sub aviator systems, submarine, submersible, testing, underwater

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  • Hydroscaph H1 Chronometer
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