The Sound of Color with Hans Zimmer

For the TOP GUN Collection, IWC’s creative specialists engineered five new striking ceramic colors and crafted timepieces in stunning, monochromatic designs. Each color draws inspiration from fundamental elements of the TOP GUN U.S. Naval Aviation School. But how to launch this innovative collection?

Christopher Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC, envisioned a collaboration with Hans Zimmer, the legendary composer of the Top Gun Maverick soundtrack, to craft the ultimate creative expression. Grainger-Herr turned to Remote Control Productions’ Steve Kofsky and long-time Lightswitch collaborator and global experiential producer Executive Visions to turn his dreams into reality.

What ensued was a collaboration with the IWC team unlike anything ever produced before in the industry, resulting in a project that became known as “The Sound of Color.” Zimmer created five pieces of original music, one for each of the new IWC colors: Ceratanium, Mojave Desert, Woodland, Lake Tahoe, and Jet Black. Each piece featured an individual melodic theme placed over a mesmerizing rhythmic beat, which transported the listener inside the very essence of time. The score successfully added the surprising and emotional dimension of sound to the colors and designs of the timepieces. Zimmer’s use of cutting-edge technology to push the boundaries of music composition proved highly symbolic of and cohesive with IWC’s engineering approach to watchmaking.

Lightswitch provided video, content, and creative design for the show, expanding upon our role as lighting designers and creative team members for the Hans Zimmer Live tour. In addition to transforming Zimmer’s massive arena tour into a show scaled for a 1,200-seat theatre, we worked with Executive Producer Michael Marto and the IWC team to help craft a distinctive and appropriate reveal for the TOP GUN concept.

We conceived an immersive and dynamic vista on which Christopher Grainger-Herr and Hans Zimmer unveiled the concept, combining projection on scrim with an upstage, high-resolution LED screen for a “near 3D” effect. After the opening presentation of the new watch family, the scrim swept away to reveal the full Hans Zimmer band and orchestra — and an evening of breathtaking music was presented to the audience.

At a luxury show like Watches and Wonders — the global watchmaking summit extraordinaire — creating a bespoke and distinctive event that distinguishes a brand from its competition can be a challenge. But by combining our decades of experience designing memorable product launches for some of the world’s top companies with our relationship with the Hans Zimmer organization, we were able to craft a distinctive and memorable solution that not only met the needs of IWC, but also thrilled the audience and was the talk of the show!

Photography by Suzanne Teresa