A common question that comes up about Longines is whether or not it is a luxury brand. This makes sense, as many may not be as familiar with this brand as they are other Swiss luxury brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philipe.
So to answer the question quite simply, yes Longines is a Swiss luxury brand. And being a Swiss brand gives it all the more prestige, as Swiss watches are known for their watchmaking prowess.
So now that we know definitively that Longines is a luxury brand, what is it exactly that qualifies it as “luxury”? We previously did an article that thoroughly explains what a luxury watch is. For the purposes of this article I will briefly define what a luxury watch brand is.
Simply put, a luxury watch brand would be a brand that puts a focus on quality. Luxury watches are made of high grade materials and use high quality movements.
So in what ways does Longines meet these criteria? That will be he focus of this article. We are going to look at the build quality, designs, and pricing of this brand to see how and why it meets luxury standards.
First though, a little more about Longines.
About Longines
First off, Longines is no slouch when it comes to recognition. At the time of writing this article, they are ranked as the 4th in the top 10 most recognized watch brands from Switzerland. So no doubt they will continue to be highly regarded as far as Swiss watches go.
Founded in 1832, Longines stands as the oldest registered watch manufacturer in history. This is due to the fact that In 1889, they officially registered with the Federal Office of Intellectual Property.
Other notable achievements by Longines was the release of the first automatic winding movement of a wristwatch. This movement was called the calibre 22a, and was released in 1945. Additionally, in 1961, they released the thinnest electrotechnical movement seen at that time.
Even in modern times, Longines gets their time in the spotlight as they are the official timekeeper for various national sporting events.
Now let’s take a look at the build quality of Longines watches.
Build Quality
Longines produces both quartz and mechanical watches. Their watches commonly have stainless steel cases, along with sapphire dial windows. Sapphire dial windows are a staple of luxury watches. This type of material offers superior scratch resistance when compared to mineral crystal dial windows.
The water resistance varies by the model. Longines watches can have as low as 30 meters of water resistance, up to as much as 300 meters of resistance.
As for movements, Longines pretty much sticks with ETA movements. While custom in house movements are trending in the world of luxury watches, ETA movements are still popular in luxury watches.
One thing to note about Longines is that they keep detailed records of their watches. Every one of their manufactured watches has its own serial number. These serial numbers are recorded. In this way, you will know for certain whether or not you have an authentic Longines watch.
The next thing we are going to look at is the design and style of Longines watches.
Design & Style
Longines has the same kinds of styles that you will typically find among luxury watch brands. They have chronographs, business casual, and of course , the diving watches. There are many more styles and variants other than these to choose from as well.
All in all, Longines has just as much the luxury look and style of any other premium watch brand.
Pricing
As far as luxury watches go, you pretty much know that they are not going to be cheap. Longines, like many other luxury watches, is priced in the higher tier of the pricing spectrum. You are definitely going to want to make sure you have made room in your budget for such a purchase.
Now Longines is certainly not the most expensive luxury brand out there. And prices will vary more or less from model to model. Any way it goes though, expect to spend a pretty penny on a Longines watch!
Check Longines Watches Prices On Amazon
Now if you are seriously thinking about buying a Longines watch, we have a couple of recommendations!
Longines Watches: Recommendations
Longines HydroConquest
The HydroConquest is one of Longines popular dive watches. This tested and true design has an all silver colored watch with a black dial and bezel. It does come in other color variations though. It has large prominent markers at the 12, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. The 3 o’clock position, however, sports a date window.
This watch has an analog display and utilizes automatic movement. The case and band are both stainless steel, and the dial window is sapphire crystal. It is water resistant 300 meters, making it great for diving of all kinds.
Other features include a unidirectional rotating bezel as well as luminous hands and markers.
Quick Look
- automatic movement
- date window
- luminous hands and markers
- water resistant 300 meters
Longines Master Collection L2.673.4.78.3 – WW
This is a Longines moonphase styled watch. Has a white dial with a brown leather band, as well as an exhibition case back window.
This watch has an analog display and is powered by automatic movement. The watch case is stainless steel and the dial window is sapphire crystal. It is water resistant only 30 meters, so keep it out of the water to avoid damage.
It has chronograph functionality, a day/date display, and multiple time display formats.
Quick Look
- automatic movement
- moonphase
- chronograph functions
- water resistant 30 meters
Final Conclusion
And that concludes out look into Longines watches. hopefully, we have thoroughly explained why Longines would be considered a luxury watch brand.
As we have seen, their watches possess all of the qualities you would expect to see in a luxury watch manufacturer.
If you enjoyed this article, we have many more just like it covering various different watches and brands which you can check out here
