One of the most prestigious equestrian races of all time, the Kentucky Derby, was won this weekend by a horse that opened at 20-1: Animal Kingdom. There to time the 137th event (America’s oldest and continuously held sports event) was one of the world’s finest watch brands: Longines. This 179-year-old Swiss watch brand partnered with Churchill Downs, historic home of the Kentucky Derby, as Official Timekeeper and Official Watch in March.
Animal Kingdom covered the 1¼ miles from the starting gate to the finish line in 2 minutes, 2.04 seconds, as registered on the official Longines timekeeper.
At the exclusive Winners’ Circle Gala after the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” Longines presented the brand’s Column Wheel Chronograph to Animal Kingdom’s winning trainer, owner and jockey. The Longines Column-Wheel Chronograph is crafted in stainless steel and houses an exclusive self-winding caliber with a blue column-wheel that is visible through the transparent caseback. It features a silvered dial with indexes and offers the chronograph functions, central seconds sweep, 30-minutes and 12-hour counters. This watch may well be the epitome of the brand’s collection – embodying its philosophy: Elegance is an attitude. It retails for $2,850.
As Official Watch and Timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, Longines had a visual presence at the racetrack with clocks, timepieces and a digital “Longines Kentucky Derby Countdown Clock” at Churchill Downs’ official event Web site for the Kentucky Derby.
