Earlier this month, Swiss watchmaker Omega hosted the first edition of the OMEGA Trophy at the DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurugram. Curated for a select few, I witnessed the action-packed event alongside Bollywood celebrity Anil Kapoor and a bunch of talented golfers on a wintery evening.
Watchmaker with golfing interests
The event saw 120 amateur golfers from all across the country patiently wait for their turn to tee in at this premium golfing tournament instituted by Omega. The watchmaker has deep interests in the sport worldwide and has partnered with some of the biggest tournaments, including their own OMEGA European Masters contested in Cross-Montana each year. Omega also supports a full roster of talented golfers that include names like Rory McIlroy, Danielle Kang, Sergio Garcia and Michelle Wie.
This passion for golf has also been the driving force behind some extraordinary watch designs, worn on and off the course. Omega’s golf-inspired watches bring a touch of elegance, excellence, and precision to the world’s rolling greens. The Omega European Masters, with prize money of 2mn Euros is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 it became the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
Talking golf and admiring watches
The evening’s conversation focused on golf and, of course, watches. On display were the new Omega timepieces that were launched earlier this year, including the beautiful Omega Seamaster AquaTerra, for the women’s category winner, and the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M, for the men’s category winner, along with their coveted OMEGA Trophy.
Not to miss a good opportunity to learn from professional golfers, the evening started on a beautiful note with a panel discussion with pro golfers like Smriti Mehra, Gaurika Bishnoi and Ridhima Dilawari. Rabina Chadha and Gaurav Agarwal took home the inaugural OMEGA Trophy in the Female and Male categories, while Manav Seth and Arun Khanna joined them as Runner Up and 2nd Runner Up in the Men’s.
Awarded in different categories, winners were doubly happy to receive their trophies from the guest of honour for the evening, the Bollywood legend, Anil Kapoor.
Anil Kapoor’s inclination for golf
In a fireside chat with Omega’s Brand Manager, Sumit Sharma, Kapoor admitted that golf had always been an aspirational sport when he was growing up in a small Mumbai suburb in Chembur. Kapoor admitted that he was taken in by the grace and charm of the sport when he got a chance to play golf on screen.
Kapoor was the perfect choice as earlier this year he also moderated a virtual session at a conference in India with George Clooney, the Hollywood heartthrob, and a long-time ambassador for brand Omega. Clooney was also the guest of honour at the Omega Masters tournament at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland in August 2022. It was yet another reason Kapoor was the perfect guest of honour for the evening apart from his legendary acting career that has now lasted over four decades and counting. The after-party continued at the bar with golfers celebrating their participation and for some, wins with Yamazaki and Lagavulin flowing in.