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Zidane, Spacey, Keating, Kravitz, Morisette, Figo & Macpherson among guests.

A gala event organized by luxury Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen recently at the SIHH watch show in Geneva attracted an illustrious gathering of guests from all over the world. The event titled "The Crossing" had as its centrepiece a multimedia performance entitled "Minutes of a Separation" produced specially for this event by the Sydney Theatre Company starring actress Cate Blanchett.

Over 1300 guests walked the red carpet at the IWC gala including some very illustrious names. Oscar prizewinner Kevin Spacey headed up the acting contingent, which among many others also included Christoph Lambert, Jean Reno and Sebastian Koch as well as fellow actors Rinko Kikuchi, Kiichi Nakai and Hiroyuki Sanada, who had flown in from Japan.

Singers Lenny Kravitz and Ronan Keating, environmental activist David de Rothschild and cult author Paolo Coelho had also decided they were not going to miss out on this particular Crossing. Onlookers were equally impressed by the presence of football star Zinédine Zidane and Laureus legends Boris Becker, Nadja Comaneci, Ed Moses, Ilie Nastase and David Douillet.

"The Crossing" took guests on an unforgettable trip back in time to the early days of IWC in Schaffhausen. For this particular anniversary, IWC has taken six milestone models from its long history and brought them bang up to date in the new Vintage collection. Host and IWC CEO Georges Kern and presenter Tanja Bülter opened the curtain on the evening's glittering events with a fascinating film about the new historic models from IWC.

Before walking the red carpet and being admitted to the Geneva Arena, guests had to present an invitation in the form of F.A. Jones' original passport. When they entered, the sight that confronted them was little short of breathtaking.

An enormous harbour scene in the style of 1848, complete with wagons, coaches and crates, as well as a swarm of sailors in contemporary dress had been set up: just the kind of thing Jones may have experienced when he boarded ship in Boston.

The big difference here, however, was the fact that the passengers who embarked on the SV Scafusia were not subjected to weeks of being tossed to and fro by the Atlantic waves but treated to outstanding cuisine and a fabulous state-of-the-art multimedia show.

The highlight of the evening was a 15-minute multimedia theatre production, "Minutes of Separation", produced exclusively for the event by the Sydney Theatre Company. Cate Blanchett's contribution to the piece, which had been filmed in advance, was projected onto a screen at the centre of the spectacular live performance.

The production centres on the relationship between IWC founder, FA Jones (played by Joseph Fiennes and his pregnant wife (played by Cate Blanchett). The story revolves around the emotional rollercoaster that was the dangerous journey, over land and sea to an uncertain future, as well as the dramatic arrival in Schaffhausen.

In the stirring finale, the award-winning Australian physical theatre group Legs on the Wall put on one of the sensuous aerial acrobatic performances for which they are renowned.

The magnificent gala evening was rounded off fittingly by the First Lady of Canadian rock 'n' roll and seven-time Grammy Award-winner Alanis Morissette, who put on a fabulous performance for IWC's guests with an exclusive preview of some of the songs from her latest album.

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