180 YEARS OF

No doubt about it – Longines is one of the world’s most
successful watch brands. e brand has celebrated constant
growth since 2003. According to our estimates the
company now produces about one million watches per
year and its sales volume of around one billion Swiss
francs puts it among the top ve in the industry. A good
portion of these numbers are attributed to the high demand
from Asian markets but growth rates in Europe
and America are also substantial.
Longines undoubtedly is one of the major traditional
manufacturers that have made a decisive mark on the
Swiss watch industry. Longines (among others) was a
leader in the creation of chronographs and the timing of
sporting events. e company won chronometer competitions
and equipped early aviators with cockpit instruments
and special wristwatches. And early on, at the
beginning of the 20 th century, Longines began oering
wristwatches alongside pocket watches and accessorized
fashionable women with ne models of their own. e
company has also always stood for quality of the rst
class. Ernest Francillon, leader of the manufacture during
the second half of the 19 th century, had a distinctive
mark engraved on his watch movements – one that wrote
marketing history. e winged hourglass was submitted
to the Swiss patent oce in 1889 and is the world’s oldest
logo in continuous use.
e rise of inexpensive Japanese quartz watches in the
1970s led to the downfall of many traditional watch manufacturers
in Switzerland. Longines was not alone in
ghting for survival. Fortunately the brand became part
of Swatch Group in the early 1980s (then SMH) and its
leader, Nicolas G. Hayek, determined the path that guaranteed
the company’s successful future. Longines no
longer produced movements in-house and instead relied
on the centralized production by ETA, which allowed
the company to concentrate on product development
and marketing. It was especially important to ensure
the company presented a unied image worldwide.
Longines was set to regain its position as the embodiment
of an elegant watch, and the strategy proved to be a
complete success. Take, for example, the “La Grande
Classique de Longines” collection. Since its introduction
in 1992 it has lost none of its currency and has sold
EDITOR’S LETTER
SUCCESS
more than 1 million pieces so far – all without the benet
of advertising, as Longines president Walter von Känel
likes to mention.
Longines oers a rened combination of elegance and
top performance, exemplied in the watches in its various
collections as well as the dierent types of sports it
supports, such as horseback riding, tennis (with the
French Open) and rhythmic gymnastics. Equestrian
sports are of special interest to Nayla Hayek, chairwoman
of the board of directors of e Swatch Group.
Longines continues to write its own successful history
year aer year thanks to its unique and long-lasting
appeal. e brand has always trusted its intrinsic values –
building beautiful and elegant watches for everyday wear.
Emphasis is placed on precision and reliability as well as
providing good value. In contrast to many other watch
manufacturers the company resisted the temptation of
shiing to a much higher price bracket. Most Longines
watches are priced between 1,000 and 4,000 Swiss francs
and the brand remains the market leader in this price
segment. But even though quartz watches continue to
play an important role, especially for ladies’ models, the
percentage of mechanical watches is growing. 60 percent
of current models contain a mechanical movement. In
addition to the mass-produced calibers supplied by its
aliate ETA other more exclusive movements are being
oered. On the occasion of its 175 th birthday in 2007
Longines created two special movements for its “Retrograde”
model. is was followed by a column-wheel
chronograph whose development was fully nanced by
Longines. For its 180 th birthday it is introducing a singlepusher
chronograph and a Retrograde model that includes
a day/night and a moon-phase display – both with
new movements exclusively manufactured for Longines.
e following 137 pages explain what made Longines
strong in the past and how the brand is preparing itself
today for the future.
Rüdiger Bucher, Project Editor
LONGINES SPECIAL WatchTime | 3