Longines Is Betting on Equestrian Sports
Formula 1 might be the racing sport on everyone's lips right now, but heritage timepiece brand Longines is focusing on one of the original speed sports: horse racing.
The official timekeeper of both The Triple Crown and The Royal Ascot—the latter of which is taking place this week in Ascot, Berkshire, England—Longines has dedicated its time (pun intended) and money to the centuries-old pastime. The brand recently extended its already decades-long partnership with The Royal Ascot into 2030, which means five more years of a shared passion for prestige and precision.
Longines has been a longstanding innovator in timekeeping, thanks to its focus on performance. In 1869, the house first produced a pocket watch with a horse motif, and in 1878 it developed its first performance-based chronograph movement. Since then, Longines has been a go-to fixture for equestrian judges and continues its legacy as even more modern technologies evolve.
For the 2025 Ascot, Longines presented a new watch model, the Spirit Zulu Time 1925, a nod to the 100th anniversary of the brand's first dual-time zone wristwatch. This updated version, named for the military concept of 'Zulu time' and adorned with 18-karat rose gold, can actually track three time zones, celebrating both horological innovation and modern-day travel needs.
As for the Ascot itself, the second race day of the week was filled with spirit and more importantly (to us) fashion. Polka dots—trending this season —bright florals, and fruit patterns (Amalfi Coast summer, anyone?) abounded, complete with matching hats and fascinators, of course, making for quite the day of elevated race fashion.
William, Prince of Wales, presented prizes for The Prince of Wales's Stakes, though Princess Kate was not in attendance. The winners of the Ascot Stakes and Royal Hunt Cup, which are the biggest races of the event, will be presented with Longines timepieces as part of their prize.
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