Zenith and felix baumgartner greet the summits of dubai

The city that boasts the highest point in the sky: Dubai. This was the venue chosen for VIP guests and the media to meet in celebration of Zenith and Felix Baumgartner. A city that can match the heights of excellence to which the Zenith brand and the fastest man in the world aspire.

Dubai, 19 November 2014 - Metropolis and desert. The event organised by Zenith in Dubai provided the perfect opportunity for immersion in some very varied environments. Around 150 Media and VIP guests from UAE, Qatar and Kuwait were firstly invited to discover the Zenith boutique in the Dubai Mall before enjoying a safari in the desert. Accompanied by Zenith's regional brand director, Georges Bechara, legendary supersonic skydiver Felix Baumgartner also joined in the adventure.

"I am very fond of the vibrant city of Dubai", the Austrian confided, and thank Zenith for inviting me to take part in this adventure. This type of event really cements our friendship after all the intense emotions we have already experienced together."

This sentiment was shared by Juliette North, Director of Marketing and Communication at Zenith: 'It is a great honour for us to host the man who rocked the world with his fearlessness and determination. Felix is an inspiration to everyone."

Record breaking at the edge of space

Revisiting a feat of fearlessness. Millions of people were riveted to their screens on Sunday 14th October 2012. Across the world, they were about to watch one of the greatest feats ever attempted, live as it happened. For the first time in history, a man was about to break the sound barrier in a free fall. Felix Baumgartner launched himself from a space capsule suspended from a helium-filled balloon at an altitude of around 39,000 metres – almost four times higher than airliners fly – and at a temperature of -62°C.

As he leapt into the stratosphere, Felix Baumgartner reached a record speed of 1357.6 km/h (Mach 1.25), before being slowed by the earth's atmosphere during his free fall, which lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds. He then opened his parachute to land, safe and sound, in the desert of New Mexico. Overall, the jump lasted 9 minutes and 18 seconds, plenty of time to set three world records: the first free fall in history to break the speed of sound, the highest manned balloon flight and the highest free fall. And on his wrist, he wore a Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th chronograph. The watch that broke the speed of sound with him.