So to start with I work at an AD that carry’s multiple Swiss brands from $350 price points all the way up to pre-owned PP, AP, of course Rolex, Cartier, etc. Since we are not an AD for those higher brands I like to focus on the brands that we are an AD for and one of them is Longines.

Disclaimer, the company has been great to me and wonderful to work with, that withstanding however, I am a huge fan. I think they offer exceptional value per dollar and I am keen on their vintage leaning design language rich history in the world of aviation.

So that is the why of my question, my actual question is How does the general watch enthusiast on Reddit feel about how the brand is positioning themselves in the market from any aspect such as price point, design language, marketing, public outreach, whatever. What makes them a solid or not so solid brand?

Thank you! I’m trying to get my team fired up about Longines and I want to know what people besides the people I work with think about Longines! Wrist shot of my heritage chrono for some tax.

TLDR: Do you like or dislike Longines and why?

  • ThenScore2885@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I love them. I never wanted to spend more than 2k for a quality automatic watch. In less than two months I bought 3 longines. So spent more than I originally planned but ended up having 3 great watches; heritage flagship, 1945 and a legend diver. I know they are not investment, I can never sell and got my money back, but they are well built and age well and I plan to give them to my kids one day.

  • flyingcatpotato@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    My daily driver is a Longines, it does what I want it to do, and what you get for what you pay is really good. My watch is a little thick but that’s expected at that price point. Also there are other Swiss brands priced higher still using base ETA movements so like, i don’t understand the hate.

  • bayouburner@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Hugely positive. It was my first “real” watch after rocking a quartz Ripcurl for years (which was also an awesome watch). I got a hydroconquest for my 21st birthday, and it didn’t leave my wrist for five years. Looked great, kept great time, I abused the shit out of it and it never gave me issues, etc. Only retired it due to sentimental value. Longines is also consistently considered one of the best values in Swiss watches, as they have excellent movements, tons of options, great finish quality, and a rich and innovative history. I would recommend them to anyone, new enthusiast or old collector alike.

    • ASIWYFA@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      I hate this “real watch” phrase when dicussing higher end watchea. It’s so gross.

      • bayouburner@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        11 months ago

        I hate the term too, hence putting it in quotes, but I feel like a lot of people who get into watches start with them as a functional thing and then go down the rabbit hole of movements and prestige and all that, so there’s a substantive difference between buying a watch because you want something useful on your wrist that tells time and buying a watch because of all the other stuff that watch nerds like to geek out about. And Longines is a brand that serves as that gateway for a lot of people. Believe me, I’m not shitting on any watches or any style of watch collecting (I’m wearing a G-Shock right now, and I love microbrand quartzes in my rotation), I’m just saying that a lot of people see a difference between a watch as a tool and a watch as a hobby, and for me, my Longines was the watch that got me into the hobby.

  • ThisIsREM@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Honestly, Longines and similar brands in the 1k-5k range are not here nor there. They are not value for money, there are so many sub 300 brands that do almost the same (e.g. San Martin, Sugess, Orient etc). But they aren’t luxury either, the feeling you get from Rolex, Omega etc. is very different to a Longines / Hamilton.

    For variety, budget bangers. For the feel of luxury Rolex. At least that’s how I see it. With Longines you pay a LOT for the name and it being Swiss, same quality can be had much cheaper and the name doesn’t actually mean much outside of a small watch world.

  • eTransporter@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Nothing wrong with Longines, it’s a Swiss-made mall watch in an uber-competitive market segment of middling brands that sit uncomfortably between well-priced, superb Japanese watches and much more expensive decent Swiss watches. Longines IMHO are best bought second-hand as the prices are so much better for an okay watch. It wants to be a luxury brand, but has a way to go.

    • Independent_Golf7490@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      It’s absolutely ridiculous to call Longines a mall watch. They are one of the oldest watch companies and have significant history.

  • _yeen@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    So honestly, I never really even considered them this year and now I think my next watch will definitely be a Longines, particularly a Spirit with the green dial. I currently own a Nomos, Sinn, Stowa, and 3 Seikos.

    Well made Omega-lite watches with high spec ETA movements and non-boring dials at a reasonable price? Awesome! I originally thought my next watch would be a Tudor BB Ceramic, but the Longines will likely become a pit stop before that.

  • CatBroiler@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I guess the Ultrachron is cool because it’s a 10hz movement.

    But otherwise Longines isn’t a brand that inspires me, really.

    And I really dislike how the Hydroconquest with the arabic numeral dial looks, that’s probably my least favourite common watch design.

  • nik-nak333@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I got the moonphase as a wedding present from my wife. I absolutely love it. I know the brand has a long history making high quality time pieces and I’m grateful I get to have one.