HCW Inks Todd Brunson

Steve Soffa’s Hardcore Watch Company Inks Sponsorship Deal, Officially Adding Pro Player Todd Brunson to HCW Poker Team

Amidst the excitement of the 2008 World Series of Poker, professional poker player and 2005 bracelet-winner Todd Brunson signs on as a spokesman and official representative of Steve Soffa’s Hardcore Watch Company, further supporting the brand’s presence within the poker community and its growing reputation as “the official watch of the poker industry.”

In Las Vegas, NV, June 23, 2008 Steve Soffa’s Hardcore Watch Company (together with Diamond Draw Management) announced the official sponsorship of poker champion Todd Brunson by Hardcore Watch Company, recent winners of the esteemed JCK Award for best timepiece design and a mounting presence within the world of professional poker. With this deal, Brunson, who boasts more than $3.3 million in live tournament winnings, will exclusively wear Hardcore watches at all events and poker related appearances and will become a formal member of the prestigious Hardcore Watch Poker Team.

Brunson, nicknamed “Darkhorse” for an underdog victory early in his career, chose to represent the brand because of the timepieces’ radical design and artistic feel. “I love the look of Hardcore watches,” he states. “They fit my personality and look, and I am honored to be an official representative of the company.”

Award-winning designer Soffa concurs: "We are excited to have a player and personality like Todd as a member of the Hardcore Watch Poker Team. Todd is a welcome addition not just because of his skill, but also because of his organic fit with the HCW lifestyle.” Continues Soffa, “We are looking forward to an ongoing partnership between Todd and the Hardcore Watch brand."

And in this “ongoing partnership,” Brunson is not alone; a growing affiliation between Soffa’s company and the poker industry as a whole is definitely in the cards. Soffa is launching his first Hardcore Watch consumer gallery in the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino to coincide with the venue’s hosting of the 2008 World Series of Poker, and he has assembled an official HCW Poker Team, which includes an elite group of pro players such as Sam Kassis (“Sam K”) and Scott Epstein, who boasts over 26 final tables and lifetime winnings totaling over $1,700,000.

Professional players are drawn to the brand for a number of reasons. Obviously, there is the intrinsic lifestyle fit as well as the poker themes that run throughout Soffa’s works of art. (It was, in fact, the “Mechanical Madness” that took home first place in this year’s Jewelers Choice Award’s, and “Suicide King” took runner-up honors.) But also, the players have an appreciation for the elaborate design, machining, and finishing process and the collectable nature of the timepieces: Each limited edition watch bears a Certificate of Authenticity, and pieces in the luxury lines are numbered and serialized; also, with the launch of the Rio gallery, the public will be able to purchase exclusive poker-related collectables including card protectors and the highly anticipated "Lost Skulls" matching poker set and humidor. However, most notably, and like pro players and athletes themselves, each piece is a statement, a representation of the person wearing it and, therefore, just as unique.

For his part, Soffa is as serious about upholding the identity of his brand as his players are about the game; therefore, membership on his team is exclusive: "Being a big poker player myself, HCW is a perfect fit for no-nonsense, intense players. I handpick the players on my team and invite only those that take their profession very seriously, the players that are talented and tournament tough, those that represent the Hardcore brand in the poker world the way it should be; Todd Brunson defines this type of player."

For inquiries about the Hardcore Watch Poker Team, e-mail info@hardcorewatches.com

Todd Brunson is exclusively represented by Lara Miller of Diamond Draw Management.