Global Impact Report of Longines Events 2025
Author: Pridebay
Release Date: December 2025
Abstract: As a symbol of elegance and precision in the Swiss watchmaking industry, Longines has long been deeply engaged in global top-tier sports events, with equestrian sports as its core, forming a unique "event-brand-lifestyle" ecological chain. This report, based on Pridebay’s exclusive research on ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs, defined as individuals with investable assets exceeding USD 30 million) across 12 global markets, combined with on-site data tracking of major Longines events and in-depth interviews with industry insiders, systematically analyzes the global influence of Longines events in brand value enhancement, high-end lifestyle penetration, cultural and tourism business linkage, and elite circle construction. The research finds that Longines events have become an important carrier connecting the brand with global UHNWIs, driving a 30% year-on-year growth in the brand’s high-end product sales in key markets, and forming a differentiated influence pattern in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East—with Asia focusing on cultural and tourism consumption linkage, Europe emphasizing traditional elegance inheritance, and the Middle East highlighting high-end social scene construction. This report provides in-depth insights for luxury brands, sports event operators, and high-end lifestyle service providers to understand the connection between top-tier events and elite consumption trends.
1. Introduction: The Core Position of Longines Events in the Global Luxury Ecosystem
1.1 Event Layout: Taking Equestrian Sports as the Core, Covering Global High-End Sports Scenarios
Longines’ event sponsorship strategy is highly consistent with its brand proposition of "Elegance is an Attitude", focusing on sports events that embody elegance, precision, and tradition. Equestrian sports, as the core of its sponsorship layout, covers the Global Champions Tour (GCT), including top-level five-star equestrian jumping events in Shanghai, Paris, Dubai, and other global cities. In addition, Longines also sponsors golf, tennis, and motorsports events that are popular among UHNWIs, forming a global event network covering five continents and 28 key markets. According to Pridebay’s statistics, Longines invests approximately 15% of its annual marketing budget in event operations, and the number of global on-site spectators of its sponsored events exceeded 1.2 million in 2025, of which UHNWIs and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) accounted for 18%—a 5 percentage point increase from 2023.
1.2 Brand-Event Synergy: Building a Unique Cognitive Link with Elegance
Longines has established a deep binding relationship between its brand and events through long-term sponsorship. For example, it has served as the official timekeeper and title sponsor of the Global Champions Tour for more than 10 years, and has launched exclusive limited-edition watches for major events. This synergy has effectively enhanced the brand’s global recognition: Interbrand’s 2025 report shows that Longines ranks 24th among the world’s most valuable Swiss brands and 5th among Swiss watch brands, with its brand recognition among global UHNWIs reaching 72%—a data that is 23 percentage points higher than the average of entry-level luxury watch brands. More importantly, 68% of UHNWIs surveyed by Pridebay believe that Longines events have strengthened their perception of the brand’s "elegant and understated luxury" positioning, making the brand a typical representative of matching high-end sports lifestyle.
2. Core Dimensions of Global Impact of Longines Events
2.1 Enhancing Brand Value: Driving High-End Product Sales and Premium Perception
Longines events have a significant driving effect on the brand’s high-end market performance. Taking the 2025 Shanghai Longines Global Champions Tour as an example, the event drove a 35% month-on-month growth in sales of Longines’ high-end equestrian-themed watches in the Chinese market, with the average transaction price of watches sold during the event period reaching USD 3,800—40% higher than the brand’s average transaction price. In Hong Kong, the Longines Hong Kong International Races, as a top-tier equestrian event in Asia, attracted 195,786 mainland Chinese spectators in the 2024/25 season, a record high, and drove a 28% year-on-year growth in Longines’ watch sales in Hong Kong during the event period. Globally, the sales of Longines’ event-limited edition watches have maintained a year-on-year growth rate of over 25% since 2023, and these limited editions have become a collection choice for many UHNWIs due to their scarcity and event commemorative value.
2.2 Penetrating High-End Lifestyle: Becoming a Social and Aesthetic Carrier for UHNWIs
Longines events have evolved from pure sports competitions to important social and aesthetic expression scenes for global UHNWIs. On the one hand, the events have created exclusive high-end social spaces: the VIP areas of major Longines equestrian events are equipped with super five-star catering services, private parking permits, and rider meet-and-greet sessions. For example, at the 2025 Beijing Longines International Equestrian Masters, VIP guests enjoyed exclusive services such as chauffeured car transfers, Rosewood Hotel’s customized catering, and opportunities to interact with celebrities and brand ambassadors, making the event a high-end social platform for UHNWIs in the region. On the other hand, the events have guided the aesthetic trend of the elite: audiences at Longines equestrian events often dress in elegant formal wear with top hats, forming a unique "elegant scene" that has influenced the daily dressing and social etiquette of UHNWIs, especially in Asia and Europe.
2.3 Linking Culture, Tourism and Business: Stimulating the Development of the High-End Service Industry
Longines events have strong spillover effects, driving the integrated development of cultural, tourism, commercial, sports and exhibition industries in the host cities. The 2025 Shanghai Longines Global Champions Tour, held during the May Day holiday, attracted 23,000 on-site spectators, including 10% from overseas and 45% from other cities in China. The event launched a "race + cultural tourism" route in conjunction with the World Expo Cultural Park, and linked more than 100 surrounding merchants to launch ticket stub discounts, driving a total consumption growth of 12% in the surrounding business districts during the event period. The free open "Yuegu Art Gallery" in the venue attracted 35,000 visits, integrating equestrian culture exhibitions, high-end brand booths, and parent-child interactions, becoming a new landmark for urban high-end cultural consumption. In Hong Kong, the Longines Hong Kong International Races drove a 130% growth in overseas tourists during the event period, with an expected economic benefit of HKD 35 million, significantly boosting the local high-end hotel, catering, and shopping industries.
2.4 Constructing a Global Elite Circle: Promoting Cross-Regional Cultural and Commercial Exchanges
Longines events have become a bridge for cross-regional exchanges among global UHNWIs and high-end brands. The Global Champions Tour, which is held in multiple cities around the world, attracts top riders, horse owners, and industry elites from different regions to gather together. For example, at the 2025 Shanghai event, French equestrian brand Harcourt, a supplier to the Olympic equestrian teams of France and Switzerland, set up a booth and held a rider signing session, with its Paris Olympic同款 equestrian clothing selling well. The brand founder stated that the event provided an important platform for entering the Asian market. In the Middle East, Longines equestrian events have become a gathering place for local royal families and wealthy businessmen, promoting exchanges between Middle Eastern UHNWIs and European and American equestrian and luxury industries, and driving the cross-regional flow of high-end resources such as equestrian training, horse trading, and luxury consumption.
3. Regional Characteristics of Longines Events’ Influence
3.1 Asia: Focus on Cultural and Tourism Consumption Linkage and Family-Oriented Experience
In Asia, Longines events focus on integrating with local cultural and tourism resources and expanding family-oriented and young audiences. In China (Mainland and Hong Kong), events such as the Shanghai Global Champions Tour and Beijing International Equestrian Masters have launched a large number of parent-child interactive activities, such as the "Hua Tian · Horse-Human Harmony" parent-child station, which has driven the growth of young equestrian enthusiasts—since 2018, the number of registered young riders in Shanghai has increased from 221 to 691 by 2025. At the same time, the events fully leverage the "ticket stub economy" to link with local high-end business districts and scenic spots, forming a one-stop consumption experience for UHNWIs and their families, which is highly consistent with the Asian wealthy’s emphasis on family companionship and diversified lifestyle needs.
3.2 Europe: Emphasizing Traditional Elegance Inheritance and Professional Equestrian Culture
In Europe, the birthplace of equestrian sports, Longines events focus on inheriting traditional elegance and promoting professional equestrian culture. Events in Paris, Geneva, and other cities attract a large number of local aristocrats and old-money UHNWIs, who pay more attention to the professional level of the event and the traditional etiquette of equestrian sports. Longines cooperates with local equestrian clubs and cultural institutions to hold equestrian art exhibitions and historical forums during the events, further enhancing the cultural connotation of the events and resonating with European UHNWIs’ pursuit of traditional and refined lifestyles.
3.3 Middle East: Highlighting High-End Social Attributes and Exclusive Customization Services
In the Middle East market, Longines events focus on meeting the high-end social needs of local UHNWIs, with a large number of exclusive customization services. Events in Dubai and other cities set up private VIP lounges for royal families and top wealthy businessmen, providing customized catering, private security, and one-on-one rider exchanges. The events have become an important social occasion for Middle Eastern UHNWIs to expand their business networks and display their status, and Longines’ high-end watches and event-limited products have also become popular gifts among local elite circles.
4. Conclusion and Future Outlook
Longines events have built a global influence network with "elegance" as the core, which not only enhances the brand’s premium value and market performance but also deeply integrates into the lifestyle of global UHNWIs, becoming an important link connecting luxury consumption, sports culture, and elite social interaction. Regionally, the differentiated operation strategy of Longines events in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East has effectively adapted to the lifestyle characteristics and needs of local UHNWIs, laying a solid foundation for the brand’s global market expansion.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Longines events are expected to show three development trends: first, deepening digital empowerment, launching virtual viewing and interactive experiences for global UHNWIs to meet their demand for convenient and personalized participation; second, strengthening sustainable development practices, such as using environmentally friendly materials in event operations and launching eco-friendly limited-edition products, in line with the global wealthy’s focus on sustainable lifestyle; third, expanding cross-industry cooperation, integrating with high-end fields such as private aviation, luxury yachts, and art collections to create a more comprehensive high-end lifestyle ecosystem. For luxury brands and high-end service providers, learning from Longines’ "event-brand-lifestyle" linkage model and deeply tapping the emotional and functional needs of UHNWIs in event scenarios will be an important direction for future market expansion.
Disclaimer: The information and data in this report are obtained from publicly available sources, on-site event tracking, and Pridebay’s exclusive research. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information, we do not assume any liability for errors or omissions. This report is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice or business decision basis.
