Strategic changes at Longines

Larry S

Timex had a massive hit relatively recently with a 34mm mens watch.

cineaste

I prefer Longines because actually their designs are based on original vintage designs, I respect Nomos but their neo vintage aesthetic with no brand heritage to base it on, rubs me the wrong way.

Syrte

M


Well, that does make sense if indeed a majority of (male) buyers prefer to focus on measurements 😁

Thanks for the info on the silicone hairspring. 👍

chunkythebulldog

Not a brand that would usually be on my radar but saw the Zulu Time watch last week online and thought it was a winner. Called in to my AD to enquire about another watch and saw they stocked Longines so enquired about the ZT. By chance the Longines rep was in demoing the new releases.

Look even better in person (but would prefer the dial without the stars and zulu time wording) so much so that I ordered the green dial.

Chronometer certified, 72 hour power reserve, quick release strap, micro adjustment on the deployment is amazing, not too large sitting on the wrist. This is going to be a massive hit for Longines.

DirtyDozen12

With respect to brand heritage, an analogy is coming to mind. I am imagining a restaurant that has been in the same location for 100 years. For many of those years, the restaurant was reputed to serve incredible food. Recently, a new chef was hired and the food is no longer noteworthy. However, people still go to the restaurant because of its name and former reputation. Next door is another restaurant that opened 5 years ago. Though the staff are young, the food is exceptional. The recipes draw from many influences and are carefully executed. Despite positive reviews, many people are reluctant to try such a new restaurant.

Personally, the food/watch itself matters much more than the reputation/brand heritage, but I understand that this is a subjective matter.

chunkythebulldog

Not a brand that would usually be on my radar but saw the Zulu Time watch last week online and thought it was a winner. Called in to my AD to enquire about another watch and saw they stocked Longines so enquired about the ZT. By chance the Longines rep was in demoing the new releases.

Look even better in person (but would prefer the dial without the stars and zulu time wording) so much so that I ordered the green dial.

Chronometer certified, 72 hour power reserve, quick release strap, micro adjustment on the deployment is amazing, not too large sitting on the wrist. This is going to be a massive hit for Longines.

Syrte

It’s a cool analogy, however in this particular instance, while it’s too early to tell, it might well be that the new chef at the old restaurant is in fact bringing new inspiration to the kitchen.

DirtyDozen12

Agreed.

For me, the decline of Longines began when they started to outsource movement production in the mid-20th century, but I understand that many factors led to that change. The more I think about it, the more I wonder whether a strong brand heritage dooms a company to repeat itself for fear of messing with a successful formula. I am reminded of Audemars Piguet's CODE 11.59, which was a radical departure from the venerable Royal Oak, that was very poorly received by the online watch world (at least). Maybe there is a hard line between hardcore enthusiasts who will always prefer the original/vintage (a minority of customers), and regular watch buyers who demand less consistency with past iterations of a brand (a majority of customers). I suppose that the ideal outcome would be to appeal to both, and Longines is arguably doing this already.

Syrte

1/ outsourcing movement production - wasn’t it more around the 1970s or at least late 60s? The Valjoux 72 chronographs are from the 1970s and there are some 1960s or 1970s Longines conquest chronos still equipped with 30CH.

DirtyDozen12

Longines started using movements made by Felsa, Rayville, Piguet, and Cyma in the 1950s.

Here is an 18K gold ref. 1403 Flagship from circa 1960 that used a Cyma cal. 480.

https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/32471...automatic-rose-gold-cal-380-ref-1403-men-1960

Syrte

PS come to think of it, that is highly interesting as it is yet another sign of how successful they were.
It must mean that the brand was so strong that it didn’t matter who made the inner parts-
They could delegate that to somebody else so long as the quality was in keeping with the brand name.

Syrte

It’s a cool analogy, however in this particular instance, while it’s too early to tell, it might well be that the new chef at the old restaurant is in fact bringing new inspiration to the kitchen.

Archer

Let's hope so. But I doubt there are any Michelin stars in that chef's future...like the old place had in the past.