It’s been more than 70 years since Longines unveiled the first Conquest model. Through numerous evolutions, revamps and special releases, the timepiece hasn’t lost its trademark flair.
“We have this philosophy that good things do take time, so we have to take the time to do good things.”
Simple, though it may be, Bernardo Tribolet’s business mantra perfectly typifies the Longines approach. Over almost 200 years, the Saint-Imier-based watchmaker has carved out a reputation for remarkable timepieces that balance precision with performance, and it hasn’t come easy. In fact, if you ask Tribolet—the maison’s current VP of marketing—Longines’ century-long journey from boutique brand to industry icon has been nothing short of a conquest.
An architect by trade, Tribolet brings a unique perspective to the heritage watchmaker. Over the past 18 months, the multi-medium creative has played an integral role in redeveloping the brand’s visual identity, bringing forward a renewed sense of place to both the physical and digital environments. It’s been a profound and challenging experience, but as he explains, the crossover between watchmaking and architecture is more seamless than you might think.
“Coming from the architectural side, there are always technical elements that are fascinating to me. For sure, there’s a huge relation (between architecture and watchmaking) there,” he tells me. “In the architectural world, you have engineering that focuses on design components such as the opening of windows, which you see replicated in terms of day date, the proportions relative to the elements of a watch.”
“There’s also the concept of storytelling,” he continues. “I know it’s a big cliché today—everybody talks about narratives and storytelling—but the timeless aspect that we’re always looking for is true in both disciplines.”
In Tribolet’s mind, visual language is more than just a fancy way of saying ‘house style’ and while taste is a matter of subject, it’s hard to disagree. After all, few watch brands have been able to draw patronage quite like Longines. The seminal producer’s long list of functional and elegant timepieces remains an industry success story and at its core, sits an indelible icon.
Initially launched in 1954, at the same time Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck were galavanting through Italy in Roman Holiday, the first Conquest model marked a pivotal moment for both Longines and the industry at large. A sleek and sporty timepiece, the original ref.9001 signalled a new era in the brand’s design language, but it was what Longines did with the name that would have the most lasting impact. In a then-unheralded move, the watchmaker took the Conquest name all the way to the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.
“I think that watch was definitely a big standing flag for us, and it certainly represented quite an early stage for the registration of names,” Tribolet tells me. “For us to have that as a first watch, that was also introduced into other collections or other product lines, it was definitely one of our major pillars.”
More than 70 years on, the collection is going from strength to strength. Earlier this year, the brand unveiled an all-new Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve and paid homage to the range’s sporty side with a string of updated Hydroconquest models. The former was an industry standout, appearing as though it were plucked straight from the Saint-Imier maison’s archive book, complete with a movement that rivalled Longines’ most premier releases. It was, in a very real sense, the perfect way to kick off a milestone year.
“We definitely celebrated this year with the Central Power Reserve—I find it a fantastic watch to bring it back at this stage,” Tribolet says. “To me personally, it represents a great storytelling piece but in terms of watchmaking, it was a big step in design and technology.”
I recently caught up with the Longines VP of marketing in Sydney, where he was in town to help launch the new flagship boutique. A typically refined nod to the classic design codes of the past, the new locale cuts an imposing figure on arguably Australia’s most premium shopping strip, but to the seminal Swiss watchmaker, it means so much more. As Bernardo explained, Australia’s burgeoning watch scene signals a new era for approachable luxury, representing a true barometer for the industry at large. In his words, it’s an attitude.
MoM: Congratulations on the launch of the new Sydney boutique. Tell me a little about the latest expansion.
Well, I can tell you that it did actually take some time, quite some time. I would say more than half a year, to be honest. We have this philosophy that good things do take time, so we have to take the time to do good things. Here, basically within the Westfield, Sydney, under the Sydney Tower Eye on Market Street, and of course it’s one of Sydney’s best-known luxury shopping districts.
For us, it’s definitely a great opportunity. We have this whole bespoke facade, so it’s special to Sydney. On the interior, we are representing a brand with almost 200 years of history, so there are these elements that speak to that, but do so while remaining—how would you say—very demure?
Longines is such a Swiss brand, and we are very careful about all the elements that we put into representing that organically. We are from such a faraway place, in the middle of the mountains, so we have to find ways to bring that feeling to different boutiques.
MoM: Being such a distinctly Swiss brand and then coming to Australia, are there elements that you add in order to make the boutique a little bit more Australian?
Yes, in terms of the whole decoration and architecture, but I have to say that it would be more on the service side. I’m an architect and most of the time people are very focused on the structural elements. Here, very particular, there is a certain pride in terms of the staff and the service, and that makes that final touch connection with the Aussie population, I believe. I was quite surprised that Longines has been here since the end of the 19th century.
MoM: Which is crazy.
It’s absolutely crazy. Although we started 192 years ago, it’s still quite a long time to be here. Australia represents an amazing market, ultimately, and that’s why the expansion is happening. Again, it needs to be well done, step-by-step, and take its time, but we’re represented in all the major cities, and we will continue to do so.
MoM: Does this boutique represent what Longines is going for in the future? Similar design?
Let’s put it this way—like our watches, we will always continue evolving, but at the same time we keep the DNA and certain elements must remain. In terms of the design of the furniture, there are always new elements coming in, almost like tests that help us as a brand to evolve.
MoM: How important is Australia as a retail market for Longines?
It’s obviously a growing market. We see that trend. We have the right product. There’s also the right attitude in Australia, I would say. Even in Sydney, where we work very much with this quote ‘Elegance is an attitude’, so it’s not really about what, but it’s how. After being here, I would also say that ‘Sydney is an attitude’.
Being here, I really want to understand how Australians relate, how they socialise, what is relevant for them, and try to be at the right place for these relevant topics that people are discussing. I’m very much a people person—so community and understanding are what I love. Ultimately, it’s the culture really. It’s the value of the culture that also guides us to new things, to bring up new things.
MoM: What trends have you noticed with the Australian market as opposed to the global landscape?
Australia is its own world—you know that better than we do. I just realized now coming with a plane that suddenly when you enter the airspace of Australia, you have still six hours to go or whatever It’s not a small country—And then even if you see it on the map, it’s really something different to when you experience it. In terms of trends, I have to say it’s not just an Australian thing, but I’m very surprised about the level of information—it’s quite big for the community here.
There is a certain attitude towards life that is very particular to Australia, for sure. In the fashion scene and also the choices in terms of the market of products—I think it’s very particular what’s happening here.
Longines has all this heritage and in recent years, the brand has been very much under the scope of collectors. More and more, we’re opening the door to a new consumer, and Australia has huge potential for us.
MoM: This year marks 70 years of the iconic Conquest timepiece. What is it about that model that has allowed it to endure?
Conquest was the first name to be registered and protected in 1954, so it’s a celebration year for us. Right from the very start, it was a very good mix between sporty and chic; a perfect match, which is interesting when we look at watches from back then. Even now, we can say ‘Oh, this was a sporty watch’, and it still is, that’s the fact. Obviously, we always keep the same DNA throughout the evolution of Conquest and 2024 is a celebration.
Within the Conquest family, we had two major launches this year, but there was definitely the addition of the 70th anniversary. It has been a year to bring forward, again, this idea of the everyday usage watch, and the Conquest is a watch like that. It doesn’t mean that everyday usage makes it any less special, but it’s really a watch ready for every type of situation.
MoM: In recent times, we’ve seen the Conquest undergo a few reinventions – with the Heritage Central Power Reserve and the Chronograph. In your opinion what have been the most significant milestones in the Conquest lifecycle?
We definitely celebrated this year with the Central Power Reserve—I find it a fantastic watch to bring it back at this stage. With all the influence from street fashion, it’s a watch that actually contrasts quite a lot with that type of expression. Still, we see a lot of resonance there. The Central Power Reserve, being one of the unique features, is entirely unique to Longines. To me personally, it represents a great storytelling piece but in terms of watchmaking, it was a big step in design and technology.
MoM: How have models like the sporty HydroConquest evolved the lineup?
Similarly, HydroConquest has been an amazing success. Starting in 2007, the Diver Conquest watch with 300-metre water resistance is definitely one of the most elegant and sporty designs that we have and it’s enjoyed huge success all over the world, particularly in Australia. This year, we celebrated this progression, from 2023 with the GMT HydroConquest to 2024 with some different sizing and some different models. The GMT HydroConquest, with all this sport and diving watch attitude, has definitely been a major success for us.
MoM: When I saw the Central Power Reserve, I was immediately drawn to it. The dial layout is so unusual, and I wasn’t aware of the historical significance, so to see that brought to life, it felt very modern despite its retro origins.
It’s a fantastic mix, I believe, of heritage and design—I almost call it old school. First of all, the circular design is very well represented with the Conquest Central Power Reserve. Circles have always been quite a design guideline for Longines, and with this timepiece, they are used in a very obvious, very logical manner.
MoM: Longines has a remarkable watchmaking heritage, which must be incredible for a marketer to have at your disposal. Tell me a little about the archives.
Look, it is an amazing playground; let’s start there. It is endless—the archives and storytelling—and for us, the most important thing is figuring out how we mix that heritage with the constant innovation that we are known for. How do we find the balance? One of the major things for us, as I was saying about the collectors and versus also new consumers, is how to keep the fine balance between that heritage pure part and also new expressions. So on one part, innovation in terms of materials, anti-magnetism and all of that play a big part in updating, because you should only update what needs to be updated.
As a marketer, it’s just fascinating. We have the whole range talking about aviation, talking about all the timekeeping, and let’s not forget, we really come from this side of tooling about time, and that’s with the aviation DNA part behind, which all evolved really for the timekeeping. So precision, performance, of course, the elegant part, that altogether really sets us up to where we are today. For me, it’s really an amazing playground to have all these spices to play with.
MoM: Looking to the future, what has Longines got planned for Australia?
Australia has some identities that we are always open to exploring. So for us, it’s very important to continue this exploration to know better the market. However again, being here since the end of the 19th century, it’s a constant evolution because nobody stands still.
So we will continue basically on a growth level in Australia, that’s our intention. We want to actually reach more people, not only on the digital side, not only on the media side but also physically. There are a lot of people still that do not know Longines, and I think the beauty is really that your first impact with the piece, mostly on the physical side, I think it really attracts. So the more, let’s call it windows that we have in different areas, the more we will have an impact. So the growth will continue, for sure.
The latest Longines Conquest timepieces bring a renewed sense of vibrancy and individuality to the heritage lineup, with new colours, materials, and sizes on offer. The full collection is available at the new Longines Sydney boutique, located in Westfield Sydney under the Sydney Tower Eye on Market Street. The showroom officially opened to the public in early July, and fans are welcome to check out the brand’s latest novelties.
