WHO DARES WINS
DAMAN SITS DOWN WITH DAVID BECKHAM FOR A CHAT ABOUT HIS CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH TUDOR AND HIS INGRAINED #BORNTODARE SPIRIT
Soccer legend, champion of style and a bona fide cultural icon, David Beckham certainly knows a thing or two about pushing the limits and presenting a bold image. So, when news broke early last year that he was appointed as a global ambassador for Tudor’s #BornToDare campaign, it certainly felt like a natural match. And this initial impression was vindicated earlier this year, in August, when the Swiss watch brand unveiled a new chapter in its daring campaign with Beckham and the Tudor Black Bay Bronze front and center, photographed and directed by esteemed fashion photographer David Sims.
To celebrate this continued collaboration, Tudor held a lavish party at Singapore’s iconic CÉ LA VI Restaurant and Skybar with Beckham himself present along with more than 200 guests. Before the festivities started in earnest, DAMAN’s Joezer Mandagi had the opportunity to chat with the man of the hour about how his passion for Tudor started and how he continues to embody the #BornToDare spirit.
DAMAN: Throughout your career, you’ve faced many challenges, but you’ve always had that #BornToDate attitude. Can you tell us a little bit about how you built that inner strength?
David Beckham: To be honest I think that ... well, I’m not going to say “I think it” because I know that it comes from my parents. When you’re a young kid, you don’t know whether you have that strength. It’s not until later on in life when you sit back and you see. At the end of my career I sat back and saw what I achieved, what I went through—the difficult times, the great times. More great times than difficult ones, but sometimes you have to go through difficult times to realize your strength, where you’re going and the path that you’re going to take.
When we started talking about #BornToDare, it was something that, as soon as it was mentioned, Made me think: “That’s it, that’s a slogan; that’s what Tudor is all about.”
For myself, I’ve been through certain moments throughout my career that were difficult. And sometimes you have to get your head down and work hard. It’s as simple as that. There are also certain challenges that I’ve overcome and I’m still doing that now. I love a challenge. I love to put myself in a situation that is challenging and that is uncomfortable. It’s not until you go through those moments that you understand that you can actually deal with it. And as for #BornToDare, I’m still doing that now. I ride motorbikes when it’s not the safest thing to do in the world. But it’s something that I enjoy doing and I feel free when I do that. So, for me, #BornToDare is the perfect slogan for Tudor and it’s perfect for me as well.
DA: On that note, can you share with us a somewhat recent #BornToDare experience you went through? Something that most people can perhaps relate to?
DB: I wouldn’t say people can relate to this ... but actually maybe they can. Since I’ve been partners with Tudor, we’ve done things in a way that is different from what other brands do, what other individuals do. That’s one of the things that I’ve always liked. Because I think it’s always interesting to keep it, well, interesting. You want to continue to strive to be the best, to be above your competitors and I think that what we are trying to do and what we are trying to achieve is an elegance, a sophistication and, obviously, make amazing timepieces. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. But, along the way, we also want to have fun.
So, Tudor came to me and said: “Okay, what do you want to do to challenge yourself? What is there that you’re not very good at or that makes you nervous?” I said, “How long have you got for me to tell you?” [ Laughs] So, we sat down, and I said, “Well, I’m not a big fan of diving,” so they told me that they have this amazing free diver that can take me out, give me lessons and they could film it. So, we met in Miami, I went in the swimming pool no problem and I managed to hold my breath for three minutes—which I was shocked by. But then he said, “We’re going to get on the boat, we are going to go into the ocean.” I was getting slightly nervous and uncomfortable: This is going to be a challenge, this is what it’s all about—things that made me uncomfortable, that
“I LOVE A CHALLENGE. I LOVE TO PUT MYSELF IN A SITUATION THAT IS CHALLENGING AND THAT IS UNCOMFORTABLE”
“I REALLY FEEL THAT JOINING A BRAND LIKE TUDOR WASN’T EVEN A QUESTION OF ‘HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE?’ AS IT WAS ‘OKAY, THIS IS IT’”
made me question myself: “Can I do this? Can I hold my breath? Am I scared of the sharks?”
That’s actually one of the questions that I asked: “How many sharks are going to be around?” And they said, “There’s going to be none.” He was lying, of course.
But that is exactly how we do things differently, by putting ourselves in challenging positions, where you’re out of your comfort zone. So, that’s the thing that I did with Tudor. It was quite special, actually. DA: You once mentioned that your interest in Tudor grew from learning about the brand’s history of adventure, pioneer diving and daring expeditions. Why do these particular elements resonate with you? DB: It was those elements that excited me about joining a partner like Tudor because, being English, being British, we love history, we love heritage. It’s one of the things that we are famous for as a country and as a nation. You know, my grandparents were huge royalists, so history and heritage were embedded into me from a young age.
And I’ve been lucky throughout my career; I’ve been lucky in business, too. Throughout my career I worked with clubs that have great histories. Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Millan—all clubs that have a rich heritage and history. Then, on the business side, I’ve been very lucky to have great partners that also have great history and heritage. So, when we first started talking to Tudor, one of the things that impressed me most was not only the passion that was evident from the guys that spoke to me about the brand, but also the archives, the history, the heritage that runs through this brand. That, for me, tells a story.
I think it’s important when you’re part of a brand to be able to tell a story, because people like authenticity. People like to see that there’s a real story behind a collaboration, a partnership, because it means something to them. And when
it means something, then people will really gravitate to that.
For myself, I really feel that joining a brand like Tudor wasn’t even a question of “How long is it going to take?” as it was “Okay, this is it.” This is the right partnership, because it was like two families coming together.
DA: Obviously when Tudor approached you, part of it was due to your global popularity. But also through this association, many new people have come across you as well. How do you see this association growing going forward?
DB: I think it’s exactly what we wanted to do and what we wanted it to be. I think it’s grown in a sense of the excellence of Tudor combined with myself. With myself and partners or collaborations, when the two come together, it’s a good thing—and it creates a real buzz. But I only think that it creates excitement because people see that there’s an authenticity. It’s not, “Okay, let’s sign in for six months, get the spotlight and then leave.” There’s a real partnership there and I think people could see that.
When it’s a long term vision, people appreciate that and I think that’s why it works ... and that’s why we want to continue to grow the business on both sides. Like I said, it was like individuals coming together to create this family. The moment I signed and the moment I sat down with the guys from Tudor, it felt right. I’ve always been part of families: The Manchester United family, Real Madrid, England. And I stopped playing now, so it’s nice now to be part of a family on the business side.
DA: This might be a bit of a clichéd question, but if you could design your dream watch, what would it look like?
DB: Well, actually, before I started this partnership with Tudor, I funnily enough found an amazing watch. I kind of stumbled across it in London. There’s an amazing street in London where there’s a few vintage watch shops. I very rarely go in there, but I was walking down there once and I saw this amazing watch and thought, “That Rolex is amazing.” I went in, tried it on and found out that it wasn’t actually a Rolex but a Tudor. For me, having a watch is, obviously, having a great timepiece. But elegance is also a big part of it. And this watch that I bought— which was a Snowflake Submariner with a vintage brown leather strap and a blue dial—was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw. So, if I was to design my perfect watch, that’s what it would be.