Fantastic McLain Ward takes the first Longines Masters of New York

Press Release

Fantastic McLain Ward takes the first Longines Masters of New York

The last stage of the Longines Masters series, of which Longines is the Title Partner and the Official Timekeeper, ended this Sunday in the Big Apple with the incredible victory of McLain Ward (USA) riding Clinta in the much-awaited Longines Grand Prix. Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and Hansson WL arrived second ahead of Canada’s Erynn Ballard and Fantast.

On Friday night, the latter also claimed the Longines Speed Challenge title in presence of Longines Ambassador of Elegance Kate Winslet, who was presented with a cheque to the benefit of the charity organisation she co-founded, the Golden Hat Foundation. The American leg of this international high-level competition was also the opportunity for Longines to highlight its Conquest V.H.P. “Very High Precision” model, representing a new achievement in the field of quartz.
 

After a particularly successful start to the season in Paris and Hong Kong, the Longines Masters ended – for the first time in their history – in New York. This Sunday afternoon, the Longines Masters of New York reached climax after four days of thrilling competition at the newly renovated NYCB LIVE, Home of the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. USA’s McLain Ward riding Clinta reigned supreme at the Longines Grand Prix in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Peder Fredricson (SWE) on Hansson WL secured second place, while Erynn Ballard (CAN) and Fantast slotted into third place. As the Title Partner, Official Timekeeper and Watch of this glamorous event, Longines was also proud to witness the Canadian rider claim the Longines Speed Challenge on Friday night. She shared the podium with Brianne Goutal-Marteau on Fineman and Kristen Vanderveen on Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili who landed at second and third place respectively.
 

On Friday, the brand had the pleasure to welcome at the event Longines Ambassador of Elegance and co-founder of the Golden Hat Foundation Kate Winslet, as well as the President of the Golden Hat Foundation Margret E. Ericsdottir, who were presented with a cheque for the benefit of the charity organisation, which is dedicated to changing the way people on the autism spectrum are perceived. The funds came from last year’s online auction of three exclusive timepieces, the “Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet”. On this occasion, the generous bidders were invited to the Longines Masters of New York, in order to receive their watches from Kate Winslet herself.
 

On that day, the brand had the pleasure to count some prestigious personalities amongst its guests, such as American riders Jessica Springsteen, Ariana Rockefeller and Georgina Bloomberg. Last but not least, as per the two first legs of the Longines Masters series in Paris and Hong Kong, digital influencers Ali Gordon, Matt Harnacke, Andrea Denver, Marcus Chan and Leonie Hanne from @ohcouture, were in attendance, together with Spain’s Marta González Tarruella, who joined the event for the first time.
 

In addition, on Saturday, Longines was proud to be the Founding Partner of the Riders Masters Cup, an innovative show-jumping competition that pits the two major equestrian powers, the United States and Europe, against each other in a never before seen transatlantic battle. The first edition of this event took place during the Longines Masters of Paris and was won by the European team. The scenario was repeated in New York as Kevin Staut, Harrie Smolders, Olivier Philippaerts, Gregory Wathelet and Peder Fredricson took the win in the second trial of the 2017/2018 Longines Masters series.
 

The Official Watch of the Longines Masters of New York

The spectators attending this prestigious event had the occasion to discover the Official Watch, the Conquest V.H.P. “Very High Precision” model, as well as the brand’s various collections, in the Longines Boutique located in the heart of the Prestige Village. The featured model represents a new achievement in the field of quartz, combining great precision, high technicality and a sporty look, marked by the brand’s unique elegance. Displaying an elegant blue dial, it is equipped with an exclusive movement renowned for its high degree of precision for an analog watch (± 5 seconds/year) and its ability to reset its hands after an impact or exposure to a magnetic field. The Conquest V.H.P. has thus positioned itself as the standard-bearer of extreme precision.