Longines honoured to welcome Ambassador of Elegance Kate Winslet to Saint-Imier

Saint-Imier (Switzerland), 18 May2016 –Swiss watchmaker Longineswas delighted to welcomeKate Winslet, its Ambassador of Elegance,to its head office in Saint-Imier for the first time. Themagnificent Oscar-winning actress, who joined the Longines family in 2010, visitedthe Longines Museum and selected a watchthat will be re-issued for the benefit ofthe Golden Hat Foundation, a non-profit organization that Kate co-founded in 2010, which is dedicated to changing public perception of people on the autism spectrum. 

Over the last six years, Kate Winslet, the talented British actress,has personifiedthe Longines motto: “Elegance is an attitude”. Today,the Swiss watchmaking company was proud to welcome her toSaint-Imier, to the place where the brand was created in 1832. Walter von Känel, Presidentof Longines, accompaniedthe actressthroughout the day, leading her along the worktables where Longines watches are so lovingly crafted,so that she could see for herselfthe production andassembly processes. 

With unabashed delight,the Ambassador of ElegancevisitedtheLongines Museum, a haven of sophistication that bears witness to the glory days of Swiss watchmakingandboasts a heritage forged in tradition, eleganceand performance. During this journey through time, Kate found a particular watch which pulled at her heartstrings.This piece belongs to the Flagship collection, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2017. It was decided that this watch would be re-issuedduring the course of the year, andthat theproceeds of the sales of this watch would go to the Golden Hat Foundation,a charitable organization that Kate Winslet co-founded in 2010. 

The Swiss watchmaker has a long tradition of supporting worthy causes, and is thrilled tobe associatedwith such a shining example of altruism as Kate Winslet, who is one of the brand’sAmbassadors of Elegance. Longines’ deeply held values are perfectly aligned with those demonstrated by the award-winningactressthroughthe Golden Hat Foundation, and therefore, it was only natural that Longines would choose to support this non-profit organization, whichstrives to highlight the capabilities andthe immense potentialof individuals with autism. 

At the end of this eventful day, Kate was eager to meet with Longines employees, who had gathered forthe occasion. The actress took the opportunity to say a few words:“I was delighted to learn that Longines is so in touch with its rich history, from which it draws inspiration for creating new works of art that adhere to its values. I am deeply grateful to Longines for the support they have shown forthe Golden Hat Foundation, an organization that is dear to my heart, by re-issuing the watch that I have chosen today.It makes me incredibly proud to be able to contribute to raising public awareness ofthe situation that face individual with autism. I believe that these individuals will greatly benefit from the possibility of learning to communicate, of receiving academic training and of developing real social relationships.”

Throughout her visitandduring the various planned activities, everyone who came into contact with the actresswas enchanted by herinnate charmand spirit. Longines is honoured to have welcomed Kate to Saint-Imier,andto have shared with herthewatchmaker’s passion, whichhas remained unchanged fornearly 185 years. The watchmaking company is pleased to once again salute the beautiful heart of thiswonderful actress, which led her to create herfoundationanddedicate herself to helping the less fortunate.