Longines La Grande Classique Tonneau 35 Diamond (L4.789.0.11.6)

Longines - A gala evening of glamour at Roland Garros

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After a morning of sport at Roland Garros in the company of young tennis players from all around the world, Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi met up with the special guests invited by Longines - the watch brand for which they are Ambassadors of Elegance - for a splendid gala evening at the Pavillon Cambon Capucines. Between the gastronomical dinner prepared by one of Switzerland's leading chefs and the musical entertainment provided by the singer Arielle Dombasle, two timepieces specially created by Longines to mark the occasion were auctioned off and, with the money raised in the morning, made the grand sum of 220'000 US$, which will be entirely donated to the two former tennis champions' charity organisations.
The famous Swiss watchmaker Longines chose a dream environment - the magnificent Pavillon Cambon Capucines - to hold a gala evening where Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi were able to meet the brand's other prestigious guests. Over 350 people attended - including well known names from showbusiness as well as other tennis stars, not to mention media representatives from all over the world! Björn Borg, Mansour Bahrami, Mireille Darc, Bernard-Henri Levy, Bernard de la Villardiere, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor and Audrey Pulvar could be spotted among the diners!
The elegant company enjoyed a gastronomical dinner put together by one of Switzerland's most talented chefs, namely Georges Wenger.
During the memorable gourmet experience, Stephane Bern, the master of ceremonies, invited Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi, Jörg Fischer (Vice-President of Children for Tomorrow), two children from Andre Agassi's College Preparatory Academy, and Walter von Känel, President of Longines to join him on the stage.
The famous tennis couple described the work done by the Andre Agassi Foundation and Children for Tomorrow with passion and enthusiasm, as well as mentioning their delight at working with Longines, which is also bly committed to helping their two charity foundations. Jörg Fischer talked about his work at Stefanie Graf's foundation, while Andre Agassi presented two of the students at his Academy who subsequently recited their school's "code of honour". For his part, Walter von Känel showed the two exclusive and unique watches specially designed by Longines to mark the 10th anniversary of the victories of Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi at Roland Garros.
The first watch is a chronograph from the Longines Admiral line and the second an original model of The Longines Master Collection Moon Phases ladies'. These two unique pieces are fitted with a self-winding movement and are eye-catching in that the dials are set with over 100 diamonds and decorated with a number 10, in reference to the 10th anniversary of Andre and Stefanie's victories.
The watches were auctioned off by an expert auctioneer, M. François Tajan, in an atmosphere of mounting excitement. The guests at the dinner responded generously to the urging of Longines and the two tennis legends and the watches, plus the money raised in the morning finally made the grand sum of 220'000 dollars. This amount and the money raised during the special children's day at Roland Garros will be entirely donated to the Andre Agassi Foundation and Children for Tomorrow.
After this fine display of generosity, Arielle Dombasle - charmingly graceful as ever - wound up the evening with her expressive voice and her feline elegance.