In today’s comparison, we will be analyzing the two watch brands Longines Vs Rolex. Both of these brands are better known Swiss brands. As Swiss brands, they are held in high regard. The Swiss have a very long and storied history of producing watches of only the finest quality.
When you buy a Swiss watch, you can be most assured that the quality is going to be phenomenal. Both Longines and Rolex would be considered high end Swiss luxury brands. But which one is truly “better” than the other? This will certainly be an interesting comparison!
While sometimes, trying to figure out which brand is better than another can sometimes be much a matter of opinion, there are some objective factors we can actually look at. We can compare the build quality, design, and pricing of a brand to see if we can come up with an idea about which brand does it better.
Before we get into all of that though, let’s see if we can get a little background info on these brands!
About the Brands
Longines
At this time, Longines stands as the 4th most recognized Swiss brand in the world. Formed in 1832, Longines is the oldest registered watch manufacturer of all time. They were registered by the Federal Office of Intellectual Property back in 1889.
However, this was not their only achievement. In 1945, they released a watch movement called the calibre 22a. This was the first automatic winding movement seen in a wristwatch. Not only that, but in 1961, they released the world’s thinnest electrotechnical movement seen at that time.
With these types of accolades, it’s easy to see why Longines has remained a top name in Swiss luxury watch manufacturing. They continue to improve with the times and stay relevant in the industry.
Rolex
Rolex may perhaps be the most well known Swiss luxury watch manufacturer of all time. First formed in 1908, they have had a monumental impact on the entire industry. After all, they are responsible for the popularity of dive watches.
Rolex has made many advancements in watchmaking history. Among them is the development of the perpetual rotor, which increased the efficiency of self-winding watches. Additionally, they advanced water resistance in watches with their Oyster perpetual, in 1926. This was the first watch ever released that was both water and dust resistant.
Beyond that, Rolex has always been known for its elite level craftsmanship. Many consider Rolex to be the absolute pinnacle of achievement in a wristwatch.
Now, introductions aside, let’s begin the comparison between these two brands by looking at the differences in build quality.
Longines Vs Rolex: Build Quality
Longines
This Swiss brand manufactures both mechanical and quartz analog watches. Mostly, they stick with ETA movements. Their watch cases are made of stainless steel, but you will also find gold cases among their collections.
The dial windows will be made of sapphire crystal. Water resistance among their models will range from 30 meters all the way up to 300 meters of resistance.
Rolex
Rolex is best known for their automatic, self winding watches powered by in house movements. Their watch cases can be made of gold, platinum, or stainless steel. The stainless steel used in Rolex watches, however is of the premium variety.
Rolex uses 904L stainless steel in their watches. This type of stainless steel is more resistant to corrosion than that found in other watches.
Dial windows will be made of sapphire. Water resistance in many of their watches comes standard 100 meters. Some of their other models have much more water resistance than that. Take their Sea Dweller model, for instance, which is rated a whopping 1220 meters of water resistance!
Verdict on Build Quality
Unsurprisingly, Rolex gets the win here in overall build quality. Custom in house movements, high grade stainless steel, and watches that can withstand extreme depths underwater set Rolex apart from the crowd. Next, we are going to be looking at the design and style of the two brands.
Longines Vs Rolex: Design & Style
Longines
You will find all of the traditionally styled luxury watch types among Longines’ extensive library of watches. They have everything from business casual, to sport, chronographs and diving watches.
Longines styles are pretty solid. Nothing experimental or overly flashy, but rather a simple, and refined approach to luxury fashion.
Rolex
Rolex is a trendsetter when it comes to luxury styles. As stated earlier, it was Rolex that popularized diving styled watches. This trend continues even today.
Aside from that, you will find a style for pretty much every occasion here. They also have business casual, chronograph, minimalist, and sport luxury styles.
Verdict on Design & Style
Rolex takes the lead when it comes to design and style. They single handedly made the diving watch style a worldwide phenomenon.
Finally, let’s look at the pricing differences between the two brands.
Longines Vs Rolex: Pricing
Luxury watches are going to be expensive. That’s a given. Longines and Rolex watches are both priced on the high end of the pricing spectrum.
However, if you are looking for a more budget friendly introduction into Swiss luxury watches, Longines is by far, much less expensive than Rolex. In fact, you will find many Longines watch models priced more similarly to entry level Swiss brands.
Either way it goes though, make sure you have a sizeable amount of money set aside for the purchase. Just know that if you choose Rolex, you will potentially be spending many times more than what you would spend on a Longines watch.
Check Longines Watches Prices on Amazon
Check Rolex Watches Prices on Amazon
Now that we’ve examined these brands a little more closely, which one is better?
Final Conclusion
This may not be surprising at all, but Rolex wins. When it comes to build quality, they are top notch. As far as fashion goes, they set trends with their style.
Rolex is an amazing Swiss manufacturer, but their watches are very, very expensive. If you are looking for a luxury Swiss option that is a bit more affordable, then many Longines watches can be bought at a fraction of the prices of a Rolex.
That concludes today’s comparison. If you enjoyed this article, then you should definitely check out some of our other comparisons here
