I was fairly excited when I was invited to be a part of the Longines meet ‘n’ greet session with the Longines Ambassador of Elegance, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The occasion was the launch of their DolceVita steel and gold collection – which is a byooty, BTW.

Check it out here!

Longines DolceVita
Longines DolceVita

Who, in their right senses, will give up this opportunity? Not me! So, I promptly reached the Taj Palace in New Delhi at the given time and settled down for what was going to be a wonderful Saturday evening. After playing a couple of fun games based on the brand (none of which I won), and an informative session on the glorious history of the brand, we were face to face with the vision, that is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

AIshwarya Rai Bachchan
AIshwarya Rai Bachchan

Apart from looking stunning, she also got us tongue tied, because words are superfluous when the gorgeous diva is right in front of you. Aishwarya warmly spoke about her association with the brand, which spans almost 16years. That’s a long time period!

Here’s what she said:

The design I have a sentimental attachment to, is DolceVita because that’s the first collection I endorsed when I cam on board with Longines. I wouldn’t have imagined that 16 years hence, I would be a part of the reintroduction with a bit of a design change, and yet keeping with the spirit of DolceVita. Here we are, reintroducing DolceVita to the world, bringing in the curvature to the dial. Who would have thought in the beginning that I would still be endorsing the brand. It’s my own little milestone that kind of makes me smile that a design, a collection that I have sentimental attachment to, I am a part of its journey in bringing a variety to its design.

So what kept her belief in the brand and more than that, what made her choose Longines back in 1999:

I am thankful to the brand because they chose me. When they came to me with the possibility of us associating, what was an easy yes for me was a combination of reasons. For me, it wasn’t just the next advert I was going to be posing for. It was a time piece we were discussing and I said – Here’s a company that had been around for over 170 years (at the point in time), that knows what it is talking about, talking craftsmanship; here’s a company that already has incredible personalities like Audrey Hepburn as their brand ambassador, so it was a privilege, an honour for an actor in the beginning of her career to be in such fine company. And of course, the motto – Elegance is an attitude, and I believed in that and continue to believe in that.

That is true, Aishwarya. Elegance is your attitude – precisely why the world loves you and Longines!

Lastly, here is my moment of a lifetime:

aish

Phew!