English football club Manchester United and prestigious international watch brand Bulova have announced a three-year sponsorship deal that will see Bulova act as the club's Official Timekeeper Global Partner to the English football club. Founded in the United States in 1875, Bulova is one of the world's leading watchmakers, just as Manchester United is one of the world's leading football clubs, and has made history and innovations in the watch industry. The Bulova brand is recognised for its manufacturing tradition and the technological innovation of its products. In 1928 it introduced the first collection of men's and women's watches to the market, invented the first radio watch and was the first company in 1931 to offer an electronic watch. The Bulova Accutron revolutionized the way of conceiving and counting time by offering the first fully electronic timepiece, providing unprecedented technology in terms of accuracy and which was used by NASA on numerous space missions including Apollo 11, the first moon landing in 1969. Bulova also boasts an extensive international network, with offices in New York, Canada, China, Hong Kong, as well as Italy, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland and the UK and official distributors in 37 countries. As Official Timekeeper, the Bulova logo will be featured on the scoreboards at the legendary Old Trafford, Manchester United's stadium, and will appear on digital ads broadcast during all home Premier League matches. It will also be shown daily on the team's official MUTV (Manchester United Television). The global partnership will see the launch of special Bulova watches positioned around Old Trafford and also in the players' changing rooms, at the Aon sports complex and in offices in Manchester, London and Hong Kong. Richard Arnold, President of Manchester United commented on the news: Although they are different companies, Bulova and Manchester United share the same values: they were both born with the aim of becoming world leaders in their fields. We are confident that the popularity, craftsmanship and affordability of Bulova products, combined with the continued growth of our Fan Club will make this partnership a success. Gregory Thumm, President of the Bulova Corporation (pictured with Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand), commented: "All of Bulova's activities are based on the desire to preserve our 138 years of tradition. Commitment to innovation and communication are common traits of both Manchester United and Bulova Corporation, and we both continually strive to be the best in our respective fields. I believe that sharing these core values will form the basis of an incredible collaboration between our two organisations'.
