By Preeta Agarwal
Held to mark 135 years of Longines in India, the results of the ‘Search for the Oldest Longines watch in India’ competition were revealed at an awards ceremony on 9 October 2013.
On display were some of the most fascinating masterpieces ever created by the Swiss watchmaker, accompanied by the competition winners and former Miss Universe, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who presented the prizes on the night.
One of the most intriguing competitions ever held by a watch company, the first prize – a trip for two to Switzerland – was won by Mr Khurshed Poonawala, an entrepreneur based in Mumbai. The winning watch, a beautiful silver Longines pocket watch dating from 1884, was gifted to Poonawala’s grandfather by an Englishman about a century ago.
Mr Mohammed Masood, an exhibition designer from Hyderabad, was named runner-up, winning a pair of beautiful Longines watches. His entry, another exquisite silver Longines pocket watch, dates from 1894 and was originally owned by Masood’s grandfather. In third place was Mr Vikram Jayant Ranadive, an HR Manager in Mumbai, whose yellow gold Longines watch dating from 1900 won him an elegant timepiece from the current Longines collection, was won by Mr Vikram Jayant Ranadive, a Manager of HR applications in Mumbai. Remarkably, all three watches are still ticking.
“The response received has been phenomenal and has revealed timepieces which add to the history and timelessness of the brand. I congratulate the winners and thank them for their patronage to Longines,” said Mr. Charles Villoz, Vice President Sales of Longines.
In addition to the awards ceremony, Longines also presented a new collection of timepieces called Conquest Classic, which is dedicated to lovers of equestrian sports.
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Third prize in the ‘Oldest Longines watch in India’ competition: a gold pocket watch dating from 1900, which originally belonged to the winner’s grandmother.
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Former Miss Universe, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, arrived at the event on a charriot with Charles Villoz, Vice President & Head of Sales at Longines.
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Charles Villoz, Vice President & Head of Sales at Longines, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Longines Ambassadress of Elegance, present the first prize – a week in Switzerland for two – to Mr Khurshed Poonawala.
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Charles Villoz, Vice President & Head of Sales at Longines, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Longines Ambassadress of Elegance, present runner-up Mr Mohammed Masood with his prize: a pair of Longines watches.
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Second place in the ‘Oldest Longines watch in India’ competition: a silver Longines pocket watch dating from 1894. It originally belonged to the owner’s grandfather.
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Charles Villoz, Vice President & Head of Sales at Longines, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Longines Ambassadress of Elegance, present the second runner-up, Mr Vikram Jayant Ranadive, with his prize: a Longines watch.
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The winning timepiece in the ‘Oldest Longines watch in India’ competition: a beautiful silver Longines pocket watch dating from 1884, which was gifted to the owner’s grandfather by an Englishman about a century ago.
