If your watch collection is lacking a Longines watch, this guide will help you decide which one belongs on your wrist.
Trust me when I say that the world of Longines watches is huge. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get easily side-tracked navigating your way through the sheer amount of online Longines content.
You probably just need a short and compact guide to the best Longines watches, right?
Then I’m here to help. In this article, I’ll touch on the history of the winged hourglass brand and its most popular collections.
Longines boasts accolades that include the first rotating bezel, the first chronograph, and the first flyback chronograph. Its story continues to grow with more recent models like the Spirit watch.
It’s one of the few remaining brands in the industry that delivers on (relative) affordability. Longines has also earned itself several contracts and partnerships throughout its history.
These include the official timekeeper of the World Championships and partner of International Sports Federations. It also became the watchmaker of choice for the British Ministry of Defence during WWII.
A Brief History of Longines Watches
If you’ve researched Longines watches before, you’ll know the brand was set up in Saint-Imier in 1832. It means that Longines is one of the oldest Swiss watch brands still going.
Today, Longines is part of the Swatch Group, joining another 18 like-minded brands.
Auguste Agassiz initially began his career in watchmaking by producing quality pocket watches. His creations evolved into wristwatches in around 1913 when he revealed the first wristworn chronograph.
In 1931, the brand’s first rotating bezel came along, followed by the Flyback function five years later. Suffice it to say that without these innovations, the watch industry wouldn’t be where it is today.
Who Wears a Longines Watch?
Longines has a superb team of ambassadors to sport its products. These include esteemed sportspeople like Mikaela Shiffrin and Alex Vanatzer. These brand ambassadors have been carefully selected to become the face of some of the world’s most influential watches.
Oscar-winning actresses Kate Winslet and Jenifer Laurence also sport a Longines watch. These distinctive personalities in the world of sport and showbiz echo Longines’ values in class and charisma perfectly.
The Longines Spirit, for example, donned to the wrist of Rege-Jean Page, captures the synergy between the brand and actor.
As with many watch brands, Longines’ association with public figures and celebrities is a winning strategy. By adopting this holistic approach to growth and brand awareness, Longines’ partnerships with its ambassadors are crucial to its success.
A Guide to the Best Longines Watch
Let’s be serious, could any single Longines watch really be crowned the best? It’s not likely.
Looking at the brand’s huge portfolio, it’s clear to see that you can find a design and style for everyone.
There are over 1000 watch designs to navigate, which can be pretty confusing. To help, I’ve compiled some of the best Longines watches into two main categories. These include the Sport and Classic ranges.
Within the Classic category are two subcategories — the Watchmaking Tradition and the Elegant. On the other hand, the Sport collection is home to the Diving, Performance, and Avigation categories.
If that isn’t confusing enough, surplus designs within each section will blow your mind further. But don’t worry, here’s my simplified guide that touches on a few of the best Longines watches.
From the Longines Classic Collection
As you’d imagine, the Longines Classic collection is where many timeless designs live. Brace yourself, the range is huge, but here are a few key models.
The Longines Heritage Classic
The Heritage Classic is the best of both worlds if you like vintage watches fused with modern technology. Somehow, these watches pair great with anything!
They have long tapered hands treated with luminous material to facilitate accurate and clear timekeeping day and night.
(Below: Longines Heritage Classic watch)
Although still modern, Heritage Classic watches certainly resonate with lovers of a more conventional style.
Longines 1832
Longines 1832 watches personify understated elegance. They are the go-to watch for casual, dressy, and professional attire. The collection got its name a year after the company began.
Powered by a movement with a day-date function, these watches bridge the gap between casual and elegant.
The Best Longines Dress Watch — The Elegant.
The winner of the best Longines dress watch has to be the Elegant. From this collection, you can choose from a three-handed date dial or one with a small seconds function.
(Below: Longines Elegant watch)
You’ll find everything you ever need in a single-dress watch with a timepiece from the Elegant series. It’s a staple that should sit at the heart of every man’s collection.
The Best Longines Men’s Watch — The Longines Master Collection
The Longines Master Collection watches, to me, constitute a great all-purpose option. They’re legible, elegant, and stylish. Plus, they have a heap load of practical features, including a chronograph, day, date, and moon phase indicator.
If you like your wristwatches to have a little more technical appeal to them, the Master Collection is perfect. That said, you can still find simpler time and date options in this series, too.
(Below: Longines Master Watch Collection watch reference L2.773.4.71.6)
From the Longines Sport Collection
The Longines Sport collection is where you’ll find Diving, Avigation, and Performance watches. Here are a few great options that promise great functionality.
The Longines Flagship
The Longines Flagship is a staple. It’s another “perfect for every occasion” timepiece. You can’t go wrong with a watch like the Flagship. With sizes ranging from 26mm to 40mm, they’re all pretty manageable, even for those with smaller wrists.
Designed with a round case and multi-link bracelet, you’d be silly not to have this watch as your daily backup.
The Longines Legend Diver
The Longines Legend Diver brings vintage vibes to the wrist. Inspired by a 1960s design, its inner bezel and twin screw crown are hard to resist.
Despite its retro looks, the Legend Diver has plenty of modern features to offer. These include a 300-meter water resistance and Super-LumiNova dial accents.
Inside the watch, you get superior movement, offering a useful 72-hour power reserve. What’s more, there are plenty of configurations to choose from within this dive watch collection.
The Longines Spirit
The Longines Spirit is one of the youngest additions to the catalog. Designed for use by pioneers of the land and sky, its pilot watch features are remarkably impressive.
You can opt for several dial colors in the Spirit watch collection, including GMT and chronograph versions. One particularly nice option is the olive-green dial variant.
Whichever you choose, however, Spirit watches are a great balance of old and new.
The Longines Conquest Classic
As you may have guessed, the Conquest Classic has a more elegant persona than other watches from the Conquest series. Even so, it still promises the toughness and sporty build of the reliable Conquest.
These watches have a minimalist styling that communicates the Conquest in its purest form. As such, it is a perfect option for the modern dress watch lover.
The Best Longines Watch for Investment — The Conquest VHP
The Conquest VHP is ridiculously reliable. It’s based on an original from 1984. Ever since then, the brand has been building on an ultra-reliable movement.
The thermo-compensated quartz movement that now powers the Conquest VHP sits in a very niche group. It promises an accuracy of +\- 10 seconds per year. As such, this Longines watch is one of the best investments to own.
FAQs
To get you more acquainted with the famous Swiss luxury watchmaker, here are the answers to some common questions.
What Is the Most Famous Longines Watch?
The most famous Longines watch may well be the Conquest. Just this year, the brand created a modern evolution of the Conquest concept.
The dial of a Longines Conquest watch is simple and legible. Paired with a sporty and strong case, the Conquest is a great choice for those looking for a robust daily beater.
Is Longines Better Than Omega?
Longines watches are more affordable than Omega watches. The price difference, however, does not define whether one brand is better than another.
Moreover, Omega is widely respected for its iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch and Coaxial escapement movements. Longines, on the other hand, is a mid-sector brand that focuses on affordable elegance.
Are Longines Watches Good Investments?
Longines watches don’t hold their value as well as brands like Rolex, but they are great investments for their longevity. Vintage Longines watches, however, hold their value well since they’re scarcer on the market.
Before we touch on some of Longines’ best watch collections, here is a little on the back story of the brand.
The Best Longines Watch — What’s the Verdict
It’s just too tough declaring any one model the best Longines watch. Choosing is purely down to personal preference.
For me, I love the timelessness and subtle technical features of the Master Collection range. To house chronograph and calendrical features in one sporty steel watch case is pretty genius. It never gets old.
Master Collection watches perfectly embody what the brand is so good at — producing timeless yet functional instruments. That said, models from the Heritage Classic line and the Elegance series are particularly refined and opulent.
But if you’re looking for something altogether more robust, head to the Diver range. Some of the best Longines watches for all-around use are those with diving capabilities.
Above all, don’t overthink the process of finding the best Longines watch. You can’t really go wrong with any timepiece. Every Longines watch promises values of Swiss precision, robustness, and tradition.
Whether powered by automatic movements or quartz, Longines watches remain attractive for many watch enthusiasts.
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