In this comparison we will be looking at Certina vs Longines, in an attempt to figure out which company makes the best watches. The interesting thing about these two companies is that they are both Swiss luxury brands, and they are both owned by The Swatch Group.
Swiss luxury watches are held in the highest regard in the watch industry. For quite sometime, Swiss watches are equated with better accuracy, precision, movements, and just better overall quality in general. So by comparing these two Swiss brands, we are essentially trying to single out the “best of the best” when it comes to quality watches.
So what factors do we need to look at, exactly to find out which one is better? What it comes down to is a combination of several key factors, and how they compliment each other. The main things we need to look at between these two brands are the build quality, style, and pricing. By looking at these main points, we can zero in on which brand is the overall better brand.
So to start things off, we are going to take a brief look at what each brand represents.
About The Brands
Certina
Certina has been around since 1888. They came from humble beginnings, originally only having 3 employees working out of a home based workshop. Before they ever even started making watches, they were producing watch movements for use by other companies.
It wasn’t until 1938, however that the company was officially known as Certina. The word “Certina”, derives its meaning from the Latin word “Certus”, which means certain, or assured. This is the promise Certina wants to give to its customers. They want customers to know that when they buy a Certina watch, they can be certain, that they are receiving a quality product.
Longines
Longines has been around slightly longer than Certina, having been first established in 1832. The company was started by a Swiss watchmaker by the name of Auguste Agassiz. He remained an integral part of the company during its early days when several partnerships were established.
It wasn’t until 1867, that the company took on the name “Longines”. The name comes from the location in St. Imier known locally as Les Longines. They chose this because it was at that time, the company factory was moved there. The purpose of this factory was to begin the mass production of watches.
Longines additionally also takes a technical approach to their watches. They keep detailed records of the serial numbers for each of their watches. This way, you can verify that you actually own an authentic Longines watch.
Certina Vs Longines: Build Quality
Now that we have been adequately introduced to these two brands, we can start to look at those factors I mentioned earlier. We’ll start with the build quality.
Certina
Certina produces analog watches that use either quartz, or mechanical, automatic movement. The watch cases are made from stainless steel. The dial windows, are made of scratch resistant, and anti reflective sapphire crystal. Their bands can be made of various materials such as stainless steel, leather, or rubber, for instance. For water resistance, Certina watches are resistant between 100 and 200 meters, depending on the model.
Certina also takes the durability of their watches seriously. In 1959, they designed a highly reinforced case for their watches, which they named “DS”, which stands for ‘double security’. The idea behind this was to have watches with increased shock and water resistance. These even predated G-Shocks!
Longines
Longines also makes analog watches. Their watches use quartz or mechanical automatic movement. As with Certina, Longines watches also have cases made of stainless steel, along with the sapphire crystal dial windows. Likewise, the bands on Longines watches will be made of stainless steel, leather, or rubber. The water resistance on Longines watches can range from as low as 30 to as high as 300 meters.
Build Quality Conclusion
While at first it may look like they are pretty evenly matched, Certina goes the extra mile to ensure that their watches are durable enough to stand the test of time.
Certina Vs Longines: Style
The next angle to approach is style. Which brand has the better looking watches? Now I understand that this matter can be highly subjective, but let’s look at the overall picture.
Certina
Certina has a variety of styles from basic, to luxury, and even experimental. This varied approach to design gives their watches a much wider audience, than luxury watches that stick with mostly traditional approaches. But, when watches do have varied approaches in design, there is always the risk that people may not like the styles, as some may be too different. Unique designs are not always better, but in this case, it works in their favor.
Longines
Longines watches take the more traditional route as far as styles though. They give you a classical luxury style for the most part. With Longines, you get exactly what you would expect to see in a luxury Swiss watch. This is a tried and true choice in designs, as people have certain expectations about what to expect in the style of a luxury watch.
Conclusion On Style
While there is nothing wrong with traditional approaches to style, Certina has more varied styles, which can attract a wider audience to the Swiss watch market.
Certina Vs Longines: Pricing
The last factor to look at here, is the pricing. There is not a whole lot to speak on here, as the truth will be immediately apparent when browsing watches from both collections on any online marketplace. Certina has lower prices, which makes this brand more appealing to newcomers to the Swiss luxury market.
Check Certina Prices On Amazon
Check Longines Prices On Amazon
Certina Vs Longines: Final Conclusion
From the factors we have looked at here, Certina focuses on sturdy and robust builds, has a more varied approach to style, and produce more affordable Swiss luxury watches. This combination of factors means that Certina can reach a wider audience.
Longines will appeal more to Swiss luxury purists. Longines has a more traditional take on Swiss luxury, and it can be argued that they have higher quality Swiss movements.
Ultimately, the choice of which brand is “better” comes down to the individual. Different people are looking for different things when it comes to watch brands. So the best brand is going to be the brand that best suits your individual needs.
And that concludes our Certina Vs Longines comparison! If you enjoyed this, and want to see some of our other VS articles, you can find those here
