Longines joins the world of endurance ridingHH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum Endurance Cup by Longines
Longines announces its new partnership with the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum Endurance Cup. On the strength of its long standing involvement in equestrian sports and sports timing, the famous Swiss watchmaker will now be official partner and timekeeper for this prestigious event. In endurance competitions, the rider must be in perfect harmony with his or her horse in order to manage its pace over the set distance. Endurance riding requires intensive training, fine concentration, good judgement and a great deal of experience. In keeping with the noble character of this discipline, The Longines Master Collection Moon Phases in rose gold is the official watch for this event.
Taking place on 15 January in Dubai, the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum Endurance Cup by Longines will bring together the world’s leading endurance riders for the fourth consecutive year. Organised by the Dubai Equestrian Club, the competition will start at 6 a.m. in the Dubai International Endurance City and will be attended by a host of prestigious guests who will be able to follow the riders into the desert in vehicles provided specially for this purpose. Longines is proud to announce its involvement in this elegant event which demands tremendous discipline on the part of the riders, in terms of the training, precision and the total mastery of their horses’ ability throughout the event.
During the competition the riders have to cover a distance of 160 km, managing their pace to the best advantage, which demands a high level of discipline and precision – values which are of great importance at Longines too. The rider must know his or her horse extremely well and be totally at ease with him in order to manage his pace. The competition is divided into 5 stages; between each stage the horses are refreshed and checked by a vet to ensure that they are not over-exerting themselves. It is not necessarily the first past the post who wins the competition; the horse’s condition must also be checked by a vet and passed - only then will it be a true winner. In addition to the winner, the first 10 riders who cross the finishing line in the following hour may be awarded the prize for the Best Condition horse.
As a perfect example of its famous slogan “Elegance is an attitude”, the Swiss watchmaker has chosen its Longines Master Collection Moon Phases as the official watch for the event. The rose gold case houses a self-winding L678.2 calibre. The silvered dial shows the phases of the Moon at 6 o’clock and the date at 12 o’clock as well as having a 24-hour hand at 9 o’clock. This watch also offers chronograph functions and is mounted on a brown leather strap or a rose gold bracelet with a folding safety clasp.