Alpine Skiing

The Swiss watch brand Longines was delighted to welcome today in Saint-Imier the winners of the 2018 Longines Rising Ski Stars Mélanie and Loïc Meillard for a visit of the company’s headquarters.  Accompanied by Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli, the Swiss siblings and world-class skiers had the opportunity to discover the various stages of the exciting process of the production of a Longines watch, as well as the brand’s museum, which retraces the brand's fascinating history through the ages.

Proudly wearing a Conquest Saint-Moritz model awarded by Longines in recognition of her 2018 Longines Rising Ski Stars title, Mélanie commented: “After winning the Longines Rising Ski Stars prize at the end of the last FIS Alpine World Cup, it was obvious that we wanted to know more about this emblematic company, deeply established in our region.”  And Loïc added: "Now that this is done, we can say that we are very impressed by the rich history of the brand. Like Longines, we are proud to represent this region on an international level.”%break%About the Longines Rising Ski Stars

Awarded for the first time at the end of the 2012/2013 alpine skiing season,  the “Longines Rising Ski Stars” prize is presented to the best young female skier (under 21 years old) and male skier (under 23 years old) taking part in the FIS Alpine World Cup. The prize consists of a trophy, a Longines watch and a check of 20’000 CHF.

Bringing together the season’s top-25 male and female skiers in each discipline, the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals are taking place this year in the Scandinavian ski resort of Åre, Sweden, which will also host the next FIS Alpine Ski World Championships – both event supported by Longines as the Official Partner and Timekeeper. On the occasion of the Finals, the Swiss watch brand celebrated the conclusion of the season by awarding the Longines Rising Ski Stars Prize. This year, it was a family-shared recognition, as Swiss siblings Mélanie and Loïc Meillard have distinguished themselves as the best female skier (under 21) and the best male skier (under 23) of the 2017/2018 World Cup season.

For Mélanie Meillard, 2018 started off well as she claimed her first podium in the FIS Alpine World Cup, finishing third in the City Event in Oslo, Norway. With a total of 431 points at the end of the season, ahead of Katharina Gallhuber (AUT) with 303 points and Katharina Liensberger with 206 points, Mélanie finished ten times in the top-10 in World Cup races. With a score of 299 points at the end of the season, triple Junior World Champion Loïc Meillard had a very good season as well, being amongst the 10 best skiers at five of his World Cup races. Following the Ladies’ slalom race, Loïc Meillard was presented with a Longines timepiece, as well as a trophy and a cheque, from the hands of Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli and Casper Gebeke, of Longines Sweden. His sister Melanie, who did not participate in the finals due to an injury, was represented by Jérôme Krieg from Swiss-Ski, who received the coveted recognition on her behalf.

Longines congratulates its Ambassador of Elegance Mikaela Shiffrin on winning her second Overall Crystal Globe. With a total of 1773 points, she finished ahead of Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener with 1168 points and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova with 977 points respectively. Following an exceptional 2017/2018 FIS Alpine World Cup season, Mikaela also claimed the slalom crystal globe for the fifth time of her career, with no fewer than seven victories in this discipline this season. While she dominated the technical disciplines, the American skier also claimed a first impressive World Cup Downhill race in Lake Louise, Canada, back in December.

In the male category, Austria’s Marcel Hirscher won the Overall title for the seventh time, in front of Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and Longines Ambassador of Elegance Aksel Lund Svindal.

As the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the FIS, the brand had the honor of rewarding the overall winners Mikaela Shiffrin and Marcel Hirscher with two exceptional athletes with elegant Longines timepieces during an official prize giving ceremony held in Are, Sweden in the context of the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals.

Longines, in collaboration with the FIS, of which it is the Official Partner and Timekeeper, proudly presented the fifth edition of the Longines Future Ski Champions, a one-of-a-kind competition bringing together the best international skiers under 16 years old. This year, the Swedish resort of Åre hosted the event in the context of the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals. The young athletes, coming from twelve different countries and selected by their respective national Federation, took part in a two-run giant slalom on the World Cup’s slope. The Longines timing system and course conditions were identical to those of the official competition.

The 2018 edition was claimed by Italian skier Thomas Lorenzo Bini in 2:12.16, followed by French skier Benjamin Hoareau (+0.31) and Swedish skier Anton Rösnäs (+1.59). Thomas was presented with a trophy, as well as a Longines watch from the hands of Juan-Carlos Capelli, Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing, Sarah Lewis, General Secretary for the FIS and Aksel Lund Svindal, Longines Ambassador of Elegance. Furthermore, the champion's national federation, the Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali, received a cheque destined to promote the sport among young people.

The evening before, the athletes took part in the bib draw ceremony, held in the heart of Åre. They had the good fortune to be accompanied by Mikaela Shiffrin, Longines Ambassador of Elegance and patron of the event, who gave them some precious advice before the race day. The ceremony concluded with the inauguration of the countdown clock until the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Åre 2019 – of which the brand is the Official Partner and Timekeeper – in presence of representatives from the FIS and the Organising Committee.

The Longines Future Ski Champions race is part of Longines’ initiatives to encourage youth sports and discover young talents. The Swiss watch brand notably organises a tennis tournament for young hopefuls at Roland-Garros, the Longines Future Tennis Aces, and a race for young jockeys, the Prix Longines Future Racing Stars, which takes place at the Prix de Diane Longines in Chantilly.

The Official Watch of the 2017/2018 FIS Alpine World Cup Finals

The FIS Alpine World Cup Finals is the opportunity for Longines to highlight the Official Watch of the 2017/2018 season, the Conquest V.H.P. “Very High Precision” model, which 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. Featuring a silver dial and stainless steel bracelet, this timepiece is equipped with a smart crown facilitating manipulations, as well as a perpetual calendar.

Results of the 2018 Longines Future Ski Champions race

 

Tonight took place the bib draw ceremony of the fifth edition of the Longines Future Ski Champions race, held tomorrow in Åre, Sweden, in the context of the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals. Representing twelve different countries, the young athletes, all aged under 16, will compete tomorrow in a two-run giant slalom on the official World Cup slope. The winner will receive a trophy, as well as a Longines timepiece. During the ceremony, the young athletes had the opportunity to meet the patron of the event, Longines Ambassador of Elegance Mikaela Shiffrin, who gave them some advice on their physical and mental preparation for the race.

This celebration, held in the center of the village, was followed by the unveiling of the countdown to the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2019, supported by Longines as Official Partner and Timekeeper. The launch was attended by representatives of the FIS and the Organizing Committee of Åre 2019.

List of participants

• Canada              Heiko Ihns
• Croatia               Tvrtko Ljutić
• Finland               Erik Saravuo
• France                Benjamin Hoareau
• Germany            Marinus Sennhofer
• Italy                    Lorenzo Bini
• Japan                 Taiyo Kuwabara
• Norway              Jesper Wahlqvist
• South Korea       Mingyu Kang
• Sweden              Anton Rösnäs
• Switzerland        Nicolas Macheret
• USA                    Jack Reich

The Swiss watch brand Longines is proud to be the Official Timekeeper of the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel, including the much-awaited Downhill race, claimed by Germany’s Thomas Dressen, followed by Beat Feuz (SUI) and Hannes Reichelt (AUT). For this speed event, the brand used its new timekeeping and data handling technology, the game-changing Longines Live Alpine Data system, consisting of a chip attached to the skier’s boot equipped with a radar and motion sensor. It enables the real-time and continuous measurement of the athlete’s speed, amongst other features.

As the Official Partner of the FIS, Longines was also proud to support the KitzCharity Trophy, a race which brings together professional skiers and well-known personalities to compete on a stretch of the fearful Streif. The funds generated by this event are donated to a local charity.

The Official Watch of the 2017/2018 FIS Alpine World Cup season is the Conquest V.H.P. Very High Precision, which 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.

Longines was proud to present Switzerland’s Beat Feuz, winner of the Downhill race in Wengen, as well as its Ambassador of Elegance Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR), second, and Matthias Mayer (AUT), third, with specially-engraved timepieces in recognition of their great performance.

As the Official Partner of the FIS, Longines was delighted to time this weekend the Lauberhorn races in Wengen, considered as the oldest World Cup stage and as one of the most difficult to win. Internationally renowned for its spectacular Hundschopf (“Dog’s Head”), this competition attracts each year thousands of spectators to cheer up their favorite skiers.

The Official Watch of the 2017/2018 FIS Alpine World Cup season is the Conquest V.H.P. Very High Precision, which 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.