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?
It’s hard to be the little brother to Omega and some wouldn’t even consider them that haha. I won’t sugar coat it, there are better made watches out there, but I do believe that what they offer at their price point is quite the steal
I have a hypothesis that their target demos are both women and people who have a hard cap at a couple thousand for a luxury watch (not mutually exclusive).
Since they're both under the Swatch Group, Longines will always be positioned under Omega price wise to avoid market overlap. Outside of maybe the Legend Diver, they don't have a super unique men's watch that get would get buzz in online communities or youtube videos. It's not that they're bad, but skimming through nearly every watch reminds me of another brand.
Their women's line is a bit bolder and the Mini Dolce Vita appears to be a hit for them. It looks like they've focused their marketing a more in that direction too with Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet as ambassadors. They have somewhat famous male counterparts, but not ultra accomplished household names like those two.
I googled around and in general it seems the top watch brands are Rolex and Apple Watches (by far the leaders), Cartier, Seiko, Casio, Citizen, Omega, Fossil, Titan, Tissot, and generally closer to the bottom but still very well selling Longines. If you look at the price points, there's a clear delineation. Greater than $5k watches (Rolex, Omega, Cartier) and less than $1k watches (Apple, Seiko, Casio, Citizen, Fossil, Titan, and mostly Tissot). Longines occupies this $1k-$5k space. I imagine the average person looks at their Conquest/Hydroconquest lines and thinks "alright, that sort of looks like a Rolex, it's better than those cheap watches but I'm not spending a crazy amount".
For vocal watch people, there's more interesting looking watches at lower price points with Seikos and microbrands and etc. Then on the other side, instead of paying $2500-$4500 for a Spirit Flyback/Master Collection, why not just get a watch like a Speedmaster at that price point which has more "history" and quite honestly just clout/marketing behind it where it's a conversation starter. So I do agree their price point is sort of a steal, but only for a silent majority who are getting a similar design to more expensive watches at a lower price point. But a watch nerd is less likely to want to settle, at which point the price just doesn't make as much sense.
I recall reading that a huge chunk of their profits comes from women's watch sales in the Far East. Historically Longines were 'big' in the US, Far East & South American markets. Rolex as a comparison were until the 60's a brand of Britain and her empire/commonwealth.
On the flyback/speedy comparison, Longines has more history in that area, it's just the 'wrong' kind and of a different era. The Speedy is basically the Moon Watch. That's pretty much it and boy do Omega know it. Whereas Longines invented the flyback, were building chronographs inhouse pretty much from when men's watches went from pocket to wrist and invented the very design of the two pusher chronograph. But like you say marketing and the plain fact that Normal People(tm) buying watches know and care about the Moon thing and nada about the rest.