Is Longines at a pivotal moment?

Emily Holmes

Longines is having a moment. You know it, I know it. Suddenly, the Longines HydroConquest and Spirit Zulu Time are being presented as peers to a Tudor Black Bay, and not a money-saving alternative. But the most impressive thing about this moment is that it’s happening for non-watch people too. Longines has gone from the watch you bought when you wanted a tank but couldn’t afford one, to the watch your sister-in-law wants for her birthday. The dialogue around the brand has reached the point that there are rumblings on watch forums about the possibility of bots and shills boosting the brand’s image which seems improbable, but not impossible. This moment is the result of a lot of planning and spending on the part of the company, and this effort is having measurable results. 

How did we get here?

While an authentic response, the current situation isn’t spontaneous. It’s the result of a lot of hard work and visionary planning on the part of the brand and their CEO Matthias Breschan. Andrew had the chance to chat to Breschan a few years ago, and while revealing that Einstein’s mistress he gifted his Longines to was a Soviet spy, he also spoke about the brand’s legacy, with a few hints for future plans. In that interview, like most he does, he spent a lot of time bringing the dialogue back to the brand’s heritage.

Longines’ iconic role in watch history is indisputable. The brand is happy to tell you how they invented the flyback and the rotating bezel, and how they have the most complete records of any luxury watch brand. So, if you inherit your great-grandmother’s Longines, they can track down where she bought it and when from the serial number. All of that goes to helping Breschan highlight the credentials of the brand. But flybacks and the watch museum aren’t going to get him to his real goal. In an interview with Horobox, Breschan said the brand is on track to “reach 2 billion Swiss francs (A$3.5 billion) in turnover by the year 2025, which is our objective.” They’re not going to get there by restoring old family heirlooms. It’s going to take a serious media campaign, and Longines has launched a masterful one.

Coming out of the pandemic, the campaign kicked off with the launch of the Longines Spirit Zulu Time. A stunning opening move. But Longines has a couple of serious strengths that don’t get enough attention. One of the major ones, from a business standpoint, is that the brand is bought equally by men and women. This means that they’re not shut out of half the market. While their pilot’s watches have a long history as women’s watches – Amelia Earhart wore one, and so did Amy Johnson – that’s not what your sister-in-law wants for her birthday.

Instead, that would be the DolceVita. This stunner has often languished in the shadow of Cartier’s Tank as they share the same rectangular styling. For the opening move of the campaign, Longines hired Jennifer Lawrence as an Ambassador of Elegance. This partnership got a lot of coverage, showing that despite regular watch fans not necessarily connecting with celebrity endorsements, it’s hugely important for the rest of the market.

Where are we anyway?

So if you’ve had a sense lately that you were hearing about Longines more than usual, you’re not alone. But just how real has this publicity boost been? For that, I’ve conducted an entirely unscientific study. To lend an air of credibility to the whole thing, let’s measure Longines against TAG Heuer. While not a perfect match, the two get compared anyway in those endless watch tier style graphics.

 

The Google search trends paint a different story, with “TAG Heuer” as a search term dropping over time, and Longines slowly creeping up to catch it. In particular, Longines shows a steady and sustained increase since autumn of 2022. The increase in Longines’ fortunes is even more noticeable when you look at the records since 2004, which makes it clear just how much of a lasting increase the brand has received. Longines is clearly on its way to winning big in the search engine category. 

Tracking the Longines tag using social media analytics shows the brand absolutely bursting through all previous levels of exposure, particularly on Reddit. It’s enough to make you wonder about those bots. 

In the fashion world, Longines has experienced a pop of popularity as well. In the last few months, Vogue and Elle both featured Longines watches in their recent women’s watches listicles. Elle also spotlighted a picture of Jennifer Lawrence sporting the Mini DolceVita from the corresponding ad campaign. Although Marie Claire didn’t select any Longines watches for their listicle, they posted a picture of Lawrence wearing a full-sized DolceVita under the headlines. Getting your watch and brand ambassador pictured on a list you’re not even on is an impressive feat, possibly the result of a killer marketing team with a substantial budget.

So, you’re not crazy (at least not when it comes to Longines trending). You are hearing more about Longines, and that’s no accident. Not only is the brand picking up more traction, but WatchCharts has them holding their value better than the overall market.

Longines is owned by the Swatch Group, which means the brand is in the same nest as Harry Winston, Omega, Breguet, Hamilton… This leaves Longines with a problem. How does it stand out in its own crowded home, let alone at the counters of stores around the world? It has a long history and some great styles, but so do the rest of its siblings. It doesn’t have the name recognition of Omega nor the affordability of Tissot or Hamilton.  The last few reports for investors from the Swatch Group have focused on the impact of the MoonSwatch, but buried in that report are the outlines of the group’s vision for Longines and improving the brand’s recognition. The focus stayed on the Swatch brand with it heading up the investor reports in 2023, as it reported 60% growth sales growth for the year. In that same report for 2023, it also states that the next biggest sales growth for the group was with Longines. Although there is no individual breakdown, sales growth was in the “high double digits.” 

Longines is finally getting the focus and the funding that it needs to break free and take back the great name it once was, and not just as a placeholder until the buyer can afford something else. Longines is on its way to becoming an in-the-know kind of brand, with the history and styling to back up such a move.