  Combining precise B,V photoelectric photometry and radial velocities, we have
been able to derive a firm orbital solution and accurate physical parameters
for the newly discovered eclipsing binary HD 23642 in the Pleiades open
cluster. The resulting distance to the binary, and therefore to the cluster, is
132 +/- 2 pc. This closely confirms the distance modulus obtained by classical
main sequence fitting methods (m-M = 5.60 or 132 pc), moving cluster techniques
and the astrometric orbit of Atlas. This is the first time the distance to a
member of the Pleiades is derived by orbital solution of a double-lined
eclipsing binary, and it is intended to contribute to the ongoing discussion
about the discordant Hipparcos distance to the cluster.
