Girard Perregaux

Patrick Dempsey Chooses JEANRICHARD

at the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona

 

 

February 2009, Daytona, FL – JeanRichard, manufacture of contemporary Swiss timepieces, was proud to be a part of Golden Globe nominated actor Patrick Dempsey’s racing team "Dempsey Racing" at the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 24, 2009. The 24-hour sports car race pushes drivers and cars to their limits during this grueling competition of speed and endurance around the hallowed Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

 

A two-time 24 Hours of Daytona veteran and self-described "car guy," Dempsey is also an enthusiastic fan of JeanRichard timepieces and chose to wear the new JeanRichard Chronoscope MV Agusta Brutale for this momentous race. The actor is one of the first people in the United States to have this highly anticipated new watch. Along with the high-performance, technical watch, Dempsey also sported a safety helmet emblazoned with a hand-painted design of the mechanical heart of all JeanRichard watches – the JeanRichard1000 internal movement. The JR1000 movement is manufactured in-house and represents the core of JeanRichard’s spirit and originality. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the JR1000 movement’s launch which granted JeanRichard entree into the select circle of watch companies producing their own proprietary movements. JeanRichard is often associated with the competitive racing lifestyle where high-performance and technical know-how reign supreme. The brand shares a long-standing relationship with Dempsey who appreciates and consistently chooses JeanRichard’s technical timepieces to wear both on and off-screen.

This year’s race was of particular importance for Dempsey as it was his debut as the lead driver of his own team – Dempsey Racing, which was sponsored by the Avon Foundation and Mazda, and also marked the launch of the Dempsey Racing Challenge – a special, new contest to raise money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The challenge offers the top fundraiser in each of the nine walking events the opportunity to meet Dempsey and be his team’s guest at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2010. The Dempsey Racing black and white No. 40 Mazda RX-8 car carries pink trim and the Avon "Walk for Breast Cancer" logo while the driver and crew also wore the logo on the race suits.

In addition to a shared affinity for competitive motoring, JeanRichard is an active supporter of Dempsey’s fundraising efforts to help fight breast cancer. This year, the company made a significant contribution to The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope and Healing, a charity honoring Dempsey’s mother, a cancer survivor. JeanRichard President & CEO Ron Jackson was thrilled to support Dempsey in this latest endeavor and said, "As a company in the business of ‘time,’ we are honored to support Patrick’s fight against a disease taking time away from more and more women around the world." 

...and the watch is a class act!!

Hey, I was standing about 10 meters to Patrick Dempsey's left as that picture of him at Daytona was taken.  I was there with the Bullet Racing GT car and team in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race.  Its a very cool race.  Patrick's car unfortunately did not finish the race.   The picture does not do justice to the crowd around Patrick.  There were paparazzi everywhere.  The picture was taken just before the start of the race, in the starting grid.  The Bullet GT car I was with was one ahead of his on the grid.  I am a true GP lover (I have three of them including an observatory chronometer from 1967 in the U.S gold case and a Ref 2597 chrono - with display back), but that day, I was wearing my stainless steel Rolex Daytona 6263 Paul Newman dial watch (so called panda) from 1970.   Sorry.  It just seemed appropriate for the event, you know?