Hello my dear dear readers! lnass here, your very own Horology Tinkerbell. Before starting off this article, I want to thank every single one of you for your many positive returns, heartwarming support and for expressing your love for what I write, I’m very humbled and honored by it all and I love you right back <33 !!!!!
If you are a bit perceptive you may have noticed that us here at Time-Telling Magazine have entered our military watches era. So to stay in theme with Mr. Walid; I’m here to report to you (sprinkle some fairy dust) about one of the watch brands that’s most interlinked with the aviation field: Longines.
So to Gen-Z-fy it, Longines was the it girl of aviation in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. And with whispers of something brewing in the air, added to what I previously said, what better time to delve into it all than now.
We heard through the grapevine that Longines is planning on doing a COMEBACK; as we all saw with Henry Cavill as their Égérie (chef’s kiss, right?). But I doubt that he is the sole ace in their card deck.
Longines has built quite the “vanilla” or “boring” reputation, essentially something to yawn at rep to the normal observer. But to someone with a finer taste and acumen in horology? they can see that they are “the sophisticated, understated, financially-stable uncle of watch brands”. Known for punching slightly above their weight i.e. offering a great value for money; customers are more than satisfied with their watches, “plan to pass it down to their children” kinda satisfied (All according to my fellow Redditers; and let me tell you Reddit is where it’s AT if you want the real Vox Populi as in the real DEETS).
Still it is overshadowed in the spectrum of watch brands owned by Swatch Group. Some might say that that shadow belongs to its bigger sister company Omega. Other watch purists will say that it’s not worth the luxury title, or even a glance; Because their movements are ETA-provided.
However, ETA is ALSO owned by the Swatch Group like Longines, and both entities have said that the Swiss manufacturer makes custom, modified versions of their generic movements specially for Longines. But does that count as in-house?
NB: For those of you who don’t know, ETA is a Swiss watch movements manufacturer founded in 1793. It specializes in the production of watch movements and has long been considered one of the leaders in the sector.
As we previously alluded to it, we can’t bring up Longines without evoking their history with aviation.
Longines has played a Titan-esque role in its history, providing precision timepieces for Valiant pilots in the 1920s and 1930s, thus being a trusted companion throughout their Herculean journeys.
It was the official timekeeper for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and measured the flight times of record-breaking aviators, including Charles Lindbergh’s legendary 1927 solo transatlantic flight (in his plane “Spirit of St. Louis”), Walter Mittelholzer, Antonio Locatelli,Francesco de Pinedo, Charles Kingsford Smith all relied on Longines chronometers for their groundbreaking journeys.
Women aviators were no exception—like Amelia Earhart, Elinor Smith, Ruth Nichols, and Amy Johnson who set world records with Longines on their wrists (In the name of all girls, we love to see other girlies being trailblazers and SLAYING. And Longines being there in those moments is as ICONIC as it is emotional).
And we’re not done, the brand’s reputation extended to polar exploration, with Richard E. Byrd using Longines instruments during his historic South Pole flight in 1929. They also pushed innovation forward with the Weems Second-Setting Watch in 1929, designed to synchronize time with radio signals, and the Lindbergh Hour-Angle Watch in 1931, which helped pilots calculate longitude mid-flight. By 1938, Longines introduced the Siderograph, a timepiece that displayed sidereal time, eliminating conversion delays in navigation— THEY WERE ON A GENERATIONAL RUN FR
As aviation technology evolved, Longines’ pilot watches remained iconic, inspiring modern reissues like the 1987 Hour Angle Watch anniversary edition and, more recently, the 2020 Longines Spirit collection. These contemporary models blend heritage with innovation, featuring high-legibility dials, robust automatic movements with silicon hairsprings, and COSC-certified chronometer accuracy. With various size and material options, the Spirit collection (*wink* *wink* Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis) pays tribute to Longines’ aeronautical legacy, offering precision, durability, and elegance to modern adventurers.
Nowadays our *cough* my *cough* beloved brand knows more popularity and appreciation in Asia and Europe because the clientèle there tends to gravitate more towards dressy, design-oriented watches, as we have witnessed the company’s outgrowing efforts to appeal to its female clientele: Dolce Vita, …
That enthusiasm didn’t make it across the Atlantic to America, or at least not anymore with its post-war era. As bigger-instantly-recognisable-brands dominate 77% of the market. Or simply because it’s not an Apple Watch…
You surely get it by now, as I’ve nailed this down through this article, our dear friends at Longines are more lowkey therefore not US-friendly.
Now let’s get a bit analytical. A brand chooses its “Égérie” -which is French for the person who’s gonna be the face of the brand- according to a particular criteria line-up –Similar Values, Reach/Relatability, and Marketability.
They basically handpick this celebrity from many others because they feel like their ethos or public persona matches the brand’s own image; or to reach a certain community that the brand failed to access before, through them; or because that individual has the “Midas touch” effect (Yes exactly like the myth minus the curse! you’ll get the ref if you’re a greek mythology fan like me) where everything that they “touch” or here represent and advertise turns to gold and sales skyrocket.
Mr. Henry Cavill may be a global moviestar—thanks to roles like Clark Kent i.e. Superman, Gerald of Rivia in The Witcher, Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes—yet he prefers to lead a more understated, lowkey lifestyle; and partakes in nerdy relatable activities as well as refined pursuits He has mastered the tricky balance between rugged masculinity and refined attitude, he embodies being a timeless classic yet a man of his time (as he’s present in Gen Z’s collective consciousness, if you don’t believe me go watch the countless tiktok edits about him).
And THAT ladies and gentlemen is why Longines has chosen him; because they KNOW that he could rock a Longines HydroConquest just as seamlessly as a Flagship Heritage Moonphase (as seen in the released announcement pictures) .
Longines expect to attract more attention to their already commendable pieces through Henry Cavill. And on paper, it’s looking real good.
But Alas, not all similar “deal of the century” stories like these have happy outcomes, and Breitling knows about this all too well (shameless taylor swift reference) with the still-ongoing Brad Pitt endorsement deal since 2019. Perfect in theory but it did not GIVE AT ALL what it was supposed to give. Their sales didn’t see THAT much of an increase as expected. People have been questioning Brad’s commitment as he’s often seen wearing other brands’ watches on his wrist like Vacheron Constantin…etc. Proving that it was kinda a flop (More on Breitling in Walid’s article)
As a sign of good faith, and actual moves being made by Longines to solidify our claim of their design oriented redirection and their upcoming comeback. We’ll be mentioning some recent pieces or re-releases that are worth a double take.
Since Burgundy dials seem to be in style lately, the brand gave us 2 pieces following that theme: A burgundy gradient dial iteration of the Legend Diver in 36mm.
Another gem would be the Conquest Heritage ‘Year of the Snake’ Edition watch, celebrating of the current Chinese Lunar Year in a limited edition of 2,025 pieces also with a rich red gradient dial with gilt elements; its caseback is engraved with a snake motif designed by Chinese artist Wu Jian’an. Giving Chinese Major Mob Boss Vibes.
Like the Legend Diver, Longines also made a twist on the classic Ultra-Chron with the Ultra-Chron Carbon in a 43mm diameter case with a unidirectional rotating bezel. A mix of effortlessly cool and sleek kind of espionage look. I would totally see Lando Norris or any other young F1 driver wearing this.
More on Conquest Series Longines which has witnessed a line-up expansion, with models ranging from 34mm, 41mm to 42mm chronographs being introduced. These watches come in various dial colors, offering versatility for different tastes. Included in The Time’s the best watches to invest in this season. Less impressive, but greatly appreciated by their clientèle.
In fine, Longines “Girlbossed”,in this case literally soared, way too close to the sun with their record-setting pilots in the 1920s and 1930s. And now with their ever-present excellent craftsmanship (pun intended) and expertise; and adding Henry Cavill onboard, the horizon for their future ventures is looking promising. We, Time-Telling’s editorial team, are excited just as much as you, our dear readers, to see where they are going with this? What’s their next move? Will they be able to rise from their unfair “vanilla” acquired status, and be the next hot topic in the world of horology? fingers crossed.
*whisper* Although as much as I stand by the fact that they deserve more recognition, I, Inass wish that I could “gatekeep” them a little longer
Inass Akisra
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