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Longines occupies a position in the Swiss watch market that no other brand can quite replicate. It has the heritage of a luxury house (founded in 1832, making it older than Patek Philippe, Omega, or Rolex), the horological credibility of a manufacture with genuine innovations to its name (the first dual-time-zone wristwatch in 1925, pioneering aviation instruments, multiple world precision records), and yet it sells its watches at prices that start under $2,000. A COSC-certified chronometer with a silicon balance spring, 72-hour power reserve, and a brand history stretching back nearly two centuries, for the price of a mid-range fashion watch. That is the Longines proposition, and it is very difficult to argue against.
Longines is part of the Swatch Group, where it sits in the upper-middle tier of the portfolio, above Tissot and Hamilton but below Omega and Breguet. This positioning has been both the brand’s strength and its constraint. The Swatch Group’s resources give Longines access to advanced movement technology (including ETA-derived exclusive calibers with silicon components) and global distribution. But the brand’s price ceiling is effectively set by Omega’s floor, meaning Longines cannot push into the $5,000-and-above territory where its heritage would otherwise justify a presence.
Origins
Auguste Agassiz established a watch trading business in Saint-Imier, in the Swiss Jura, in 1832. His nephew Ernest Francillon transformed the company into a manufacturer, building a factory at a site called Les Longines (the long meadows) in 1867. The brand adopted the location’s name and its now-iconic winged hourglass logo, which was registered in 1889 and is one of the oldest unchanged trademarks in watchmaking.
Longines’ history is unusually rich in genuine firsts. The brand produced timing instruments for sports events as early as the 1870s, developed one of the first wrist-mounted chronographs in 1913, and created the first dual-time-zone wristwatch in 1925. Longines supplied navigation instruments to Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and other pioneering aviators, and the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch (designed in collaboration with the aviator himself) remains one of the most celebrated pilot’s watches ever produced. The brand also has deep connections to equestrian sport, serving as official timekeeper for numerous international events, a relationship that continues today.
The Collections
The Spirit collection is Longines’ aviation-inspired range and arguably its strongest current offering. The Spirit Pilot and Spirit Zulu Time draw directly on the brand’s 1920s and 1930s aviation heritage, with design details (diamond-knurled crowns, applied Arabic numerals, luminous cathedral hands) that reference historical pilot’s watches. The Spirit Zulu Time, introduced in 2022, is a GMT watch that has quickly become one of the most highly regarded travel watches at any price, thanks to its COSC-certified exclusive caliber (the L844.4 with silicon balance spring and 72-hour power reserve), its bidirectional ceramic bezel, and its retail price of approximately $2,750 to $3,300 in steel. In 2025, Longines celebrated the centenary of its first dual-time-zone wristwatch with the Spirit Zulu Time 1925, featuring a rose-gold-capped bezel. The Spirit Flyback chronograph adds a flyback complication at around $3,800 to $4,500.
The HydroConquest is Longines’ dive watch, available in 39mm to 43mm sizes with 300-meter water resistance. It competes directly with the Tudor Black Bay and Omega Seamaster at a lower price point. Steel automatic versions retail for approximately $1,550 to $2,100. The HydroConquest GMT adds a second time zone for around $2,500.
The Master Collection is the brand’s dress watch line, featuring complications including annual calendars, moon phases, and chronographs in classically proportioned cases. Retail prices range from approximately $1,800 to $3,500. The Heritage collection reissues historical designs from the Longines archives, often in limited or special editions, with prices typically between $2,000 and $4,000.
The Conquest V.H.P. (Very High Precision) is Longines’ high-accuracy quartz line, with thermocompensated movements achieving annual accuracy of ±5 seconds per year. For collectors who value precision above all else, the V.H.P. delivers accuracy that no mechanical watch can match, from approximately $1,100.
The Value Equation
Longines’ pricing is the elephant in the room. A Spirit Zulu Time GMT with COSC certification, silicon balance spring, 72-hour power reserve, and sapphire-capped ceramic bezel retails for approximately $3,300. A Tudor Black Bay GMT with a comparable movement specification retails for approximately $4,225. An Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra GMT starts above $6,500. The Longines offers at least equivalent movement technology at a fraction of the price, with a brand history that is longer and, in many ways, more distinguished than either competitor.
The reason for this pricing disparity is not quality. It is positioning. Within the Swatch Group hierarchy, Longines is not permitted to occupy the same price tier as Omega. This means that buyers who understand the value proposition are getting watches that punch well above their weight class, while the brand itself is constrained from capturing the full value of its heritage and technology.
Buying Longines Today
Longines watches are widely available at authorized dealers, Longines boutiques, and department stores. The brand has one of the broadest distribution networks in Swiss watchmaking. There are no waitlists for any current production model. Retail prices range from approximately $1,100 for a V.H.P. quartz to $1,550 for an entry-level HydroConquest automatic to $3,300 for a Spirit Zulu Time GMT to $4,500 for a Spirit Flyback chronograph.
On the secondary market, Longines depreciates 25 to 40% from retail, which places many references in the $1,500 to $2,500 range pre-owned. A Spirit Zulu Time for $2,000 to $2,500. A Master Collection moonphase for $1,200 to $1,800. At these prices, Longines represents perhaps the single strongest value proposition in Swiss watchmaking: genuine heritage, modern movement technology, COSC certification, and the kind of design quality that comes from nearly two centuries of practice, all at prices that make the brand accessible to collectors at virtually every budget level.
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This article is for informational purposes only. Prices, secondary market values, and specifications are approximate and based on market conditions as of early 2026. Longines is a registered trademark of Compagnie des Montres Longines Francillon SA, a subsidiary of the Swatch Group. Tempo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Longines or the Swatch Group.