Riding on the Wings of Post Time: Longines and the Belmont Stakes

We are two days away from the running of the 2014 Belmont Stakes, the third and final race of America’s equestrian showcase for three-year olds, the prestigious  U.S Triple Crown.  Again, Longines extends its “thoroughbred” brand awareness to the event as the “Official Watch and Timekeeper of the Belmont Stakes.”

I’ve opined on Longines’ equestrian ties in an earlier post, Ad Venture Begets Luxurity (March 3, 2014) which highlighted Longines’ Ambassador Kate Winslet wearing one of the watchmaker’s Conquest ClassicCollection models as she poses next to a handsome stallion. Simon Baker is another Longines Ambassador often pictured with a thoroughbred and wearing a Conquest Classic. In this spirit, Longines will be awarding watches from its Conquest Classic Collection to the owner, trainer, and jockey of the winning horse.

It’s been 36 years since we’ve had a horse sweep the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown. That was Affirmed in 1978.  The Belmont Stakes track is the longest race in the series at 1.5 miles.

There only have been 11 Triple Crown winners in its history, On Saturday, June 7^th, the field will have 11 horses. Coincidental or Complementary?

This very well may be the year it happens again with Derby and Preakness winner, California Chrome as the 3-5 favorite in Number 2 post position. How timely it would be for California Chrome, with its initials “CC” to win and thereby deliver three  Longines Classic Conquest pieces -- again the initials, “CC” -- to its owner, trainer and jockey!

As Longines says in its catalogue, Les Collections Longines, 1832-2012, “Longines has been employed as a timekeeper in a range of disciplines that involve elegance such as tennis, equestrian sport and artistic and rhythmic gymnastics. Here precision of movement and perfection of style converge.” 

We will see the Longines' convergence again in Elmont, New York with the 146^th running of the Belmont Stakes.