A prestigious jury of equestrian and sports journalists recently selected the most elegant male and female riders of the 2007 season, awarding valuable points at the Gran Premio Longines in Barcelona. In the end it was Switzerland’s Christina Liebherr, on L. B. Robin Hood, and Spain's Sergio Alvarez Moya, on Wisconsin saw their elegance, charisma and performance rewarded. The noted Russian actors and Longines Ambassadors Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Oleg Menshikov were on hand as the winners of the Longines Press Award for Elegance 2007 received a cheque for 20,000 Swiss Francs, a set of Longines watches including the new “Instrument pour Cavalier” and a trophy. Spain was again honoured with Ricardo Jurado's victory, as the winner of the Gran Premio Longines, which was crowned by Walter von Känel, President of Longines and Miguel Ángel Palmer, Longines Brand Manager Spain.


Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Oleg Menshikov Longines Ambassadors of Elegance, Walter von Känel, President of Longines in the Longines lounge at the CSIO Barcelona 2007.

Swiss watch brand Longines is proud this year to continue its role as official partner and timekeeper of the CSIO Barcelona. The seventh and final round of the Longines Press Award for Elegance was judged on Friday, 14th September 2007 during the Gran Premio Longines. The prestigious jury, comprised of members of the sports and equestrian press, named Switzerland’s Christina Liebherr the winner as the most elegant rider, not simply in Barcelona but for the entire 2007 season. In a very close vote, Spain's Sergio Alvarez Moya took the prize as the most elegant horseman of the 2007 Longines Press Award for Elegance.

The jury elected the Swiss rider Christina Liebherr, on L. B. Robin Hood, as the most elegant horsewoman for the second year in a row! Her victory in this final stage in Barcelona underscores her position as the most elegant rider of 2007, a distinction she maintained throughout the season.


Christina Liebherr and Sergio Alvarez Moya, winners of the Longines Press Award for Elegance 2007 with the Longines Ambassadors of Elegance Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Oleg Menshikov in the Longines lounge at CSIO Barcelona.

Votes were somewhat more divided with regard to the male rider as many riders had been elected over the seven events but in the end, it was Sergio Alvarez Moya of Spain, riding Wisconsin, who prevailed. His elegance and harmony with his horse convinced the jury members to elect him as the most elegant rider.

Longines Ambassadors of Elegance, Lithuanian-born Russian actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite and Oleg Menshikov, regarded as the most famous actor in Russia, graced the event with their presence and took great pleasure in presenting the trophy to the winners. This year the bronze trophy of a jumping horse has been specially designed and cast in Switzerland by a noted sculptor of the Jura region, where the Longines brand is based.

Longines also launched at this event its new watch designed specifically for horse riding enthusiasts: the “Instrument pour Cavalier”. This watch, which bears a tachymeter specially calibrated to enable the calculation of a horse’s speed, is part of the Longines Sport Collection and was part of the prize awarded to the two elegant winners.


“Instrument pour Cavalier”: a place for equestrian sport fans — between history and originality.
On the strength of its heritage of more than 80 years in equestrian sports, Longines presents its « Instrument pour Cavalier » watch. A new model in the GrandeVitesse line, this automatic chronograph symbolizes the engagement of Longines in the timekeeping of equestrian sports since 1926. The tachymeter, which enables one to measure the speed of a horse up to 70 km/hour, suggests the new model is suitable not only for the most demanding of riders, but also for those enthusiastic followers of horses who thrill to the exploits of horsemen and –women and of jockeys at the race tracks.

Source: Longines
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