“Elegance” is a term used by this particular brand of the Swatch Group, now more than 100 years old (its origins date to 1832) to denote all its activities. Among the panoply of brands belonging to the mother group, Longines had to find its own “niche”, one that would be immediately identifiable and would correctly distinguish the brand from its closest siblings, beginning with Omega. Elegance depicts this rightful position: not too high, not too low, accessible, instantly and universally understandable. After all, elegance can take on a thousand different forms, and even though it is difficult to exactly define what it is, even if its “canons” vary, there can be no doubt that it is recognizable at first glance, all over the world.
Everywhere, elegance is associated with a certain reserve and balance. Of course, it can often come with a small dose of eccentricity (just look at our English friends), but in general, it has a certain “harmony”. There is a “consistency” in its various forms, colours, and proportions, which come together well to create a nice equilibrium.

More than a simple word
For Longines, elegance has thus become more than a simple word. It is a veritable concept that permeates all the activities of the enterprise, from creating the models (whose designs must absolutely respond to this “mission,” therefore we won’t find any outlandish models, or any baroque styles or extravagant complications) to creating its communication (in which the term elegance plays a pivotal role).
We find the term in all its many forms: the slogan “Elegance since 1832” is reserved for institutional communication and traditional watches, such as, for example, a recent ladies’ collection reproduced identically from house models of the Art Déco style of the 1920s and 30s, which themselves bear the apt name of “Les Elégantes”.
Yet, beyond a simple slogan, this concept concentrates its strength in one concept extensively used by the brand, which easily sums up the intended idea: “Elegance is an attitude”.
“Elegance? We can always identify it. We see it everywhere: on a person with a simple t-shirt, or even nude on the beach. Elegance is an attitude, a place that we are in. In this way, everyone can be elegant,” echoes Christian Johan Bégot, a couturier from Lyon.

An attitude
We find concrete examples of this “attitude” of elegance in the brand’s “ambassadors” and in its “testimonials” that play an increasingly larger role in the global communication of Longines. To begin with are two quasi-universal icons, Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn.




Audrey Hepburn & Humphrey Bogart


These two mythic stars, that Longines uses for its institutional communication and promotion of its classic models, are there to remind us that elegance is timeless; that elegance does not date from yesterday; that it will survive all of the complexities of the future. It is a question of style, of personality. It is an affirmation of itself, to which each can adhere and which each can exercise in his own manner. In this sense, elegance is somewhat democratic, and corresponds fairly closely to Longines’ intended positioning: elegantwatches with an affordable price/quality ratio, because elegance is not a question of wealth. It is, above all, let’s repeat, a question of attitude. Certainly, Bogart and Hepburn are there to remind of that.
Besides these founding icons, Longines is using a whole series of living ambassadors as part of its global communication in order to get the message out to its various targeted audiences.
On an international level, and for its transnat-ional campaigns, Longines is featuring two personalities who embody the concept of “Elegance is an attitude”. For the men, it is the American crooner Harry Connick Jr., while for the women, the choice fell to the ex-Miss World, actress Aiswarya Rai. Beautiful, but not ostentatious, Rai wonderfully incarnates the “universal” aspect of Longines’ concept. The fact that she is an Indian, rather than an Occidental, actress reinforces this message. Adored by the Indian public, Rai has crossed the divide to establish herself in Hollywood productions, or in participating on the Jury of the Cannes Festival. This is important because Elegance should not divide people; on the contrary, it should bring them together, as Rai perfectly exemplifies. We can say the same thing about Harry Connick Jr., whose attitude, physical appearance, and music help make people feel closer, casting off the traditional separations, offering a form of ecumenical “fusion”.




Aiswarya Rai & Harry Connick Jr.



The Longines DolceVita & Evidenza collections


China and Russia
Moreover, Longines employs a series of ambassadors evoking local elegance, principally in two areas where the brand is determined to increase its sphere of influence: China and Russia.
For Chinese women, elegance is personified by the well known actress Carina Lau, whose credits include more than forty films, many awards, and several nominations as the “Most Stylish Actress”. On the male side, the show business personality Aaron Kwok represents these same qualities.
In Russia, the person chosen to personify elegance was entrusted to a well reputed actor in his country, Oleg Menshikov, who is also the head of a theatrical company and who has been highly successful in Western theatres as well, mainly in London. This message of elegance reaches Russian women in the form of three brilliant and award-winning gymnasts: Dinara Gimatova (Azerbaïdjan), Olga Kapranova (Russia) and Aliya Yussupova (Kazakhstan).




The actress Carina Lau, Dinara Gimatova (Azerbaïdjan), Olga Kapranova (Russia) and Aliya Yussupova (Kazakhstan)


“Elegant” sports
Longines’ alliance with the world of gymnastics goes back quite a way. Starting in 1912, in Switzerland, the brand initiated a partnership with the sport.
The qualities of endurance, precision and the natural elegance that it demands of its adepts qualifies gymnastics as an elegant sport. What sport could be more “elegant”? The partnership with gymnastics also goes for the men, with the national artistic gymnastics teams of China and Russia.
Another sport that is particularly elegant that is favoured by Longines is equitation. The Swiss riders Marylin Forte and Jane Richard, and the German Pia-Louise Aufrecht are ambassadors on the feminine side, while Swiss horseman Markus Fuchs represents Longines on the men’s side.
The list does not stop there, however, and it continues to grow, market by market, even on an international scale. Gradually Longines will arrive at its goal, which is to make the word elegance the international synonym for the brand and its products.


Source: October - November 2005 Issue

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