180 YEARS OF

Kate Winslet
launching the
Longines Saint-
Imier Collection
in Shanghai
The Longines Column-
Wheel Chronograph
contains its exclusive
Caliber L688.2 (left).
Strategies | LONGINES TODAY
O
n September 29, 2011, Longines Watch Co. held an event
in Shanghai, China, to launch a new collection of
watches. e Longines Saint-Imier Collection, named
aer the Jura Mountain village where Longines was born
in 1832 and where it remains to this day, features classically
styled watches for men and women in steel, steeland-gold,
or rose-gold cases. e star of the series is a
column-wheel chronograph whose retro good looks
were inspired by a Longines watch from 1945. Inside the
chronograph’s tiered case is a movement that is a
Longines exclusive, Caliber L688.
Adding panache to the occasion was the Oscar-winning
British actress Kate Winslet, whom Longines
signed as an ambassador in 2010. e Longines Saint-
Imier Collection launch event was a sort of warm-up for
the festivities the company has planned for its 180 th anniversary
in 2012. In fact, Longines at 180 has much to
celebrate. Recently the brand, which specializes mostly
in steel dress watches priced between 1,000 and 4,000
Swiss francs, has been on a roll. Consider:
• Longines has had eight consecutive years of sales
growth, unimpeded even by the worst global recession
since the Great Depression.
• Longines today ranks among the top ve Swiss watch
brands in total watch revenue, according to WatchTime
estimates. (ere is no ocial data on company rankings.)
• Longines is the world’s top watch brand in the 1,000-
4,000 Swiss francs price category.
• Of the 18 watch brands in the Swatch Group, the
world’s largest watch company, Longines ranks among
the top three in total sales.
It is safe to say that no one enjoyed the Shanghai gathering
more than its host, the rm’s CEO, Walter von
Känel. “Mr. Longines,” as he is known, joined the company
in 1969 and has been president since 1988. In
Shanghai, a beaming von Känel, who turned 71 in September
2012, posed with the glamorous Winslet and
merrily greeted guests. Indeed, the Shanghai event
served as a tableau highlighting many of the elements
behind Longines’s resurgence: its clout in China, where it
is the second strongest watch brand; its leadership in the
dress watch category; and its recent push into mechani-
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