I don’t want to offend any Longines owners and/or fans on this sub, but this happens to me with (almost) all their releases/watches. I see a new watch on their IG, watch videos from a few reviewers, and get all hyped. Then I go to my local AD and see the models in person and they just look… Clunky, Dull? I don’t know how to describe it.
My wife wholeheartedly agrees with me, I hyped her up about the Zulu Time GMT in 39mm with a green dial to the point where she told me to go buy it. So we went to see them, wallet ready and her first words where “these are it??”. The details of the Spirit Zulu Time GMT stand out so well in photos and videos, and in person it just seems dull.
And this doesn’t happen for all brands, for example I think Grand Seikos look waaaaay better in person than in photos, the complete opposite case. Or Rolexes, APs, Langes, and even Tags in my opinion look just as good in person than in photos.
The only Longines watch I’ve actually liked in person is the Bronce Legend Diver. But other than that they all look… different. I don’t want to say “cheap”, but kind of(?).
Complete turn off from pictures and reviews to actually holding the watch in my hands.
Am I alone in this?
I had the same reaction when I saw the Seiko Alpinist green dial. Gorgeous online, kinda meh in person.
I’ve been wondering about that. Their marketing materials are really, really good in recent years. Looks so impressive. But there’s something a bit generic too…
I am considering a Legend Diver or Pilot Majetek next year, and I’m just gonna have to find one in person because I’ve seen and heard conflicting opinions and think it might be model-specific.
I don’t think they look good online either. If they were $300 I’d be excited about them but there are far more interesting watches for the same price
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that reaction to the Zulu Time. I saw all of the images and videos and thought it looked incredible. Stopped by a local jewelry store to have one of my wife’s rings resized, and they happen to carry Longines!
Excited, I ask to check out the green bezel Zulu Time they have. And I gotta say… it just didn’t feel great in person. The finishing is very underwhelming and the proportions of it just don’t feel as good. It’s so much thicker and less graceful than it looks in pictures. I also thought the movement felt pretty grainy and cheap.
You’re not alone. They look like fashion watches largely due to the fact that their cases are thick, bracelets feel cheap and don’t offer OTF adjustment, and the quality of the materials is lacking.
This might be insulting to Longines owners, but I only own two watches, a Seiko Turtle and Rolex Explorer. I feel the same quality holding my $300 Seiko Turtle next to a $1,500 Longines. Meanwhile, my Explorer from 2006, which I wore every day for years and absolutely beat up before buying my Turtle, still feels premium despite the hollow center links. I think it’s largely due to the tolerances on the Rolex which make the bracelet feel more “solid” while attached to the watch.
If you hold the cheapest Tudor or Omega next to the most expensive Longines, the quality difference is immediately noticeable. GS and Zenith are also better in the case department but their bracelets are just as terrible in quality and feel (😭).
Weird, I had the exact opposite experience with the Zulu time. Wasn’t really in my interest or on my radar until I took a look at the AD in person and it blew me away. I’ve had that same experience with other watches though, it all depends. Usually the ones I hype up in my mind for a while tend to be underwhelming once I see them, and ones I’m not too interested in blow me away in person.
Never look at a GO from the side
Don’t do this to me 😭
I’ve had this with many brands. Never seen a Longines in person but interested to see if I have the same effect. Hamilton and Seiko have both done this for me in both directions for many models (I.e some I hated actually look amazing in person and vice versa). It makes me want it see anything in person before I commit to buying it b
Longines are glorified mall watches.
Actually this common across many brands, especially that offer sunburst dials… Just depends on the photography. That’s regardless of type of dial actually. Photography/ colour grading of their images.
There’s a whole video dedicated to Omega Aqua Terras on YouTube by WatchAdvisor who goes over this exact issue when showcasing colours of watches.
Not to say that there may be genuine cases of these discrepancies from what we’re shown and then what we get.
Much like how the new green Santos photographs in good lighting, then in person it looks almost black unless you’re in direct sunlight. I like it but if I purchased based on photos alone I can see how many would be disappointed
I bought a Longines before I bought a Christopher Ward. If I had done it the other way around, I wouldn’t have bought the Longines. There are sharp edges on the case, and the bracelet is unbearable. It looks good, but the finish and comfort were disappointing.
I picked up the conquest in green 2023 and I think it looks substantially better in person than it did online, ymmv
I feel like Tudor I am way more impressed person.
Grand Seiko I was kinda underwhelmed in real life for some reason something wrong with me
For me it doesn’t happen. The Zulu time looks absolutely stunning in person, super sexy. But sometimes watches do look way better in pictures. For me the datejust looks super boring in real life, but in pictures it looks very good
Some watches look better in media, other’s look better in person.
I think Captain Cooks for example look only aright in photos but gorgeous irl. It’s so thin, and the colors are so nice, it just feels good.
I find this happens a lot to me. I’ve been a big fan of grand seiko based on videos and pics of them, finally got to see some last week and was disappointed by their case size/design. Seemed like the watch case was too bulky compared to the dial. The night birch movement though I was really impressed by when I saw it.