Last year saw the introduction of many new sports watches for Longines, which was proud to announce that it had taken over the Swatch Group’s sports segment since Omega’s rise in the horological pyramid. The collection was launched with an extensive selection of watches from the GrandVitesse to the HydroConquest and the Instrument pour Cavalier. “The Longines Sport Collection models were very favourably received by our markets,” shares Walter Von Känel, President of Longines. “The HydroConquest line, presented at BaselWorld 2007 and at the Roland Garros tournament, was a particularly huge success even though we are still in a introductory phase”.
The company is getting more and more involved with sponsoring sporting events too, from short track speed skating, to the French open and show jumping, the brand is obviously enjoying this new direction that has opened for it.




CONQUEST and ISTITUTO IDROGRAFICO DELLA REGIA MARINA


As a taster of more sports watches to come, Longines presented a new collection called the Longines Conquest. With 300 metres water resistance this is certainly an attractively solid watch for those who enjoy having a timepiece that they can leave on their wrist and not have to worry about it.
This year will also see the reinterpret-ation of a timepiece from the Sport Legends collection called the Istituto Idrografico della Regia Marina, a contemporary timepiece based on the 1938 chronograph developed for the cartographers of the Italian l'Istituto Idrografico della Regia Marina. This watch marks the 70th anniversary of the original and reminds us that Longines is by no means new to the sports arena.


Source: Europa Star April-May 2008 Magazine Issue