challenge everything
The Congolese singer/guitarist/composer/dancer is one of Africa’s most storied artists and a passionate watch lover as well
This is not a story about a watch brand that searches for an ambassador and finds one who ticks most boxes. Fally Ipupa is a HYT ambassador because when we met him in Paris recently, he passionately declared his love for our hydromechanical timepieces. There was an instant connection and click, something which happens when kindred spirits meet. The Congolese singer/composer/dancer, like HYT, thinks and operates outside the box. Boundaries are only there to be broken; the same goes for conventions. By challenging everything, new things are created: music and watches. In other words, Fally Ipupa is the perfect HYT ambassador who ticks all the boxes.
Fally Ipupa has been in the spotlight for over 25 years, and his relentless hard work made him Africa’s number 1 artist. It also earned him the nickname ‘Prince of Rumba.’ Now that’s a great title, but there’s more to Fally Ipupa. His vision and continuous and successful musical explorations led him to incorporate Congolese sounds, beats and grooves with rap and R&B. The music he creates speaks to a global audience phenomenon and he broke down barriers by doing a lot of international features.
It's fair to say Fally Ipupa became an international superstar by being a trailblazer. He introduced African music to the global ear by challenging conventions and breaking the boundaries between different styles from various places worldwide. The result is an eclectic and infectious music mix with the distinct, original signature of the Congolese artist. It’s also fair to say HYT is a trailblazing watch brand. When HYT took to the stage in 2012, it did so with a never-before-seen watch displaying time using a colored liquid. HYT became the first and still only watch manufacturer to build hydro-mechanical Haute Horlogerie timepieces because it strongly believed in its utterly unique concept, and it persevered even though the technical challenges took time and great effort to overcome.
Lots of exciting things and a special edition watch, of course. We can't reveal what it will look like yet, but we can tell you the solid foundation will be a Swiss-made ‘groove’ – a very accurate 28,800 vibrations per hour “groove" that is – enriched by the boundless creative ideas from the world of Fally Ipupa.