Courtesy
Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf at the new Longines store at the Shops at Crystals.
Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Switzerland-based watchmaker Longines opened its newest shop in Las Vegas last week inside the Tourbillon Boutique at the Shops at Crystals on the Strip. The company has more than 300 locations across the country and has had a presence in the U.S. since the early 19th century, but it just happens to have two of its most famous brand ambassadors planted firmly in Las Vegas in Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, who visited the new store for its debut on Halloween.
The husband-and-wife tennis legends have partnered with Longines for more than a decade and Agassi explained why it’s been such a good fit.
“It’s the authenticity of how it started,” he said. “The truth is we weren’t looking for a watch relationship or a deal. It was built around an overlap of shared values. We’re very selective with what and how we do things and they came and supported [the former Grand Slam for Children event in Las Vegas] and ended up being a sponsor the last few years and the depth of the relationship just kept growing. We don’t bet on things, we bet on people, and when you see the values and spirit of their company, we had a great deal of belief that it was the right fit and it would be of more benefit than at first glance.”
The most recent charitable effects of the partnership was a celebration of those 10 years together at a gala event in Paris over the summer, where Longines auctioned off 10 sets of timepieces with the proceeds going to the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education and Graf’s Children for Tomorrow foundation. Some of those auction winners traveled to Las Vegas this week to see the store and spend time with Agassi and Graf.
“I think it’s overrated to spend time with us. They always leave going, ‘They were pretty normal,’” Agassi laughed.
Agassi’s national efforts to improve youth education are well known in Las Vegas thanks to the college preparatory campus he established on West Lake Mead Boulevard in 2001. Graf, born in Germany, founded Children for Tomorrow 20 years ago to provide help to children and families who have suffered the trauma of war, exile and violence.
“We help a little over a thousand kids every years, mostly with therapy to help heal inner wounds,” Graf said. “We’ve come to realize over the last five or six years there has been a dramatic increase in refugees coming to Germany. So we’ve tried to concentrate on working with the children that have come through in the last few years, which has been a challenge with different languages and different cultures and what they have experienced.”
Her work with the foundation keeps Graf traveling back to Germany every couple of months, but she said the exposure and attention provided by Longines has been essential in the foundation’s growth. “We’ve been able to raise more funds and continue to grow, and now we are able to go into schools and work with teachers and train teachers to understand trauma. We just have a bigger reach now.”
Back in Las Vegas, two of the city’s most famous athletes have been enjoying the professional sports renaissance ignited by the Vegas Golden Knights.
“It’s amazing and so much fun and our kids really benefit from it,” Graf said. “It’s a highlight to go see the Golden Knights and with the anticipation of what will happen with the Raiders, it’s an exciting time for our town.”
Agassi, of course, is born and raised Vegas. “I see it over 48 years of being here and defending this city since I was 16 years old traveling the world,” he said. “We do a lot more here than what might appear from the outside. That culture keeps pushing and building and expanding, and we keep providing this great excitement and experiences, and sports is certainly one of them.
“The Knights have added to our lives as they have the whole community, and watching them at the practice facility close to our home has been a treat. And I think we’re going to prove ourselves as far beyond fair-weather fans.”
