onsistency… coherence! In an industry dominated by brand image, they are the guarantee of lasting success, yet each year brings its share of new beginnings, clean slates and promises of a “return to fundamentals”. Many feared Longines would go down this route, after its long-serving captain of industry, Walter von Känel, retired as chief executive.

This wasn’t the case – fortunately, perhaps, for Switzerland’s watchmaking heritage. Throughout our conversation, Matthias Breschan, CEO since 2020, insisted that his role isn’t to turn everything upside-down. It’s a strategy that has always worked well for Longines, thanks to which the brand continues to reign over the CHF 1,000-5,000 segment when most of its traditional rivals have gone off to what they believe are greener pastures.

For the 70th anniversary of the Conquest collection in 2024, Longines is introducing the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve, inspired by a late 1950s model.

Given the brand’s relatively low profile, it’s a surprise for many to see Longines feature year after year in the top tier of Swiss watch brands by turnover and in the elite billionaires’ club. Then again, Longines is a truly global brand and always has been. As well as forging an empire in China these past decades, it is the oldest trademark still in use in its original form, registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Behind the scenes, the team is hard at work to ensure that consistency never becomes complacency. “After strong results in 2023, we are doing everything to ensure the stars align this year. This means a crystal-clear vision of distribution and marketing, boutique renovations, new campaigns and new ambassadors,” says Matthias Breschan.

After the launch, last year, of the Mini DolceVita, this year’s highlight is the anniversary of the Conquest. Longines never lets one collection take precedence over others, so we can no doubt look forward to new releases elsewhere, in ranges such as the Longines Master Collection, Longines Spirit, Longines Legend Diver or Longines Pilot Majetek. “Soft power” could be a fitting description for this quietly successful brand. Read on for our interview with Matthias Breschan.

Matthias Breschan, CEO of Longines

Europa Star: What are your strategic priorities for Longines?

Matthias Breschan: You can probably guess the answer: to be coherent and consistent in everything we do. When I took the helm in July 2020, it was immediately clear to me that Longines is a powerful brand. Sometimes a CEO comes in and has to make sweeping changes and the brand must adapt to that. At Longines, it’s the exact opposite: it’s very much up to the CEO to adapt to the brand. The most important thing was to understand what makes this such a strong and enduring brand, and the reasons behind this consistency.

Launched in 2023, the Mini DolceVita line sports an exclusive new double-wrap strap.

What conclusions did you reach?

There is a balance which doesn’t need to be artificially created or changed; simply strengthened and maintained. This applies to three areas in particular. Firstly, Longines’ clientele is split equally between men and women, which is rare in this industry. Secondly, the brand has a strong offering in both sports and dress watches. Look at the last few years: sport watches have been the dominant trend at many brands and our HydroConquest and Longines Spirit Zulu Time have performed well. You could even say the latter has been a game-changer in how Longines is perceived. Yet despite this, our bestselling range is the traditional Longines Master Collection, alongside La Grande Classique de Longines. The third point is our rich history and legacy, at a time when vintage has such strong appeal for younger generations of watch buyers.

I was expecting you to mention price. A lot of brands have increased their prices recently, including for inflation, whereas Longines remains squarely in the CHF 1,000 to CHF 5,000 segment.

Our aim is to bring the best technology to our price segment, such as silicon balance springs, a first-rate GMT, flyback functions and high-frequency movements. Average price has increased in the industry and we should never lose sight of the fact that, for the vast majority of people, CHF 1,000 or CHF 5,000 is a lot of money. Inflation hasn’t had an impact on us. What affected us most last year was the strength of the Swiss franc. The biggest challenge facing us this year is China’s economic slowdown. Even so, China is still our largest market, ahead of the United States.

The iconic and bestselling Longines Master Collection gains two new GMT models in 18K yellow gold or 18K rose gold, each limited to 500 pieces.

Longines was a pioneer in China. Is the fact that China accounts for such a large share of sales now a disadvantage?

The pandemic taught us that we, like many others, were very much, possibly too much, focused on Chinese customers, especially Chinese tourist spending, whether in Switzerland or elsewhere. We’d neglected our domestic clientele. Collections were no longer adapted to their tastes. We’ve put that right with the introduction of new lines and new boutique concepts tailored to local consumers.

The HydroConquest GMT is offered this year in a 43mm case size.

At the start of our conversation, you mentioned legacy as a strong point. In an industry where high-end brands appear to have cornered the market on legacy, it seems Longines’ achievements, perhaps because of its positioning, aren’t widely acknowledged, considering the impact they have had.

This is something we really want to work on more. The Longines Spirit Zulu Time reiterated the brand’s pioneering role in aviation. So many innovations are linked to the development of these professional instruments, yet too few people know that Longines invented the GMT, the flyback function and the rotating bezel. We want to reawaken that history, through models such as the Longines Pilot Majetek, always in a true and authentic way. It’s a point of difference that we can build on for the future. We’re going to bring all this heritage to the fore, without leaving our price segment. High-end brands don’t have a monopoly on legacy!