Longines CEO Matthias Breschan Speaks On The Brand’s Heritage + New Spirit Collection

Photo Credit: Longines

Haute Time chatted with Matthias Breschan, the newly-appointed Global CEO of the storied Longines brand.

Passionate about watchmaking, history and art, Matthias Breschan has taken the helm of Longines since July 2020, after having previously managed two Swatch Group sister brands, Rado for nine years and Hamilton for seven years. Matthias Breschan joined Swatch Group in 1996 and was at the time responsible for Swatch Telecom. He has been a member of the Extended Group Management Board since 2005.

Prior to working for the Swatch Group, Breschan worked for Aldi in France as well as for Texas Instruments and Alcatel Mobile Phones in the marketing and sales areas.

Born in Austria, Matthias Breschan speaks fluent French and English in addition to his native German. He graduated from the Vienna School of Economics (University of Vienna). He is an avid skier, and lover of the outdoors and sport in general. Design and contemporary art are also part of his interests as well as everything broadening his horizons.

Find highlights below and for the full interview, watch the full video underneath.

HT: Tell us about the heritage of the Longines brand.

MB: When I arrived here, I discovered the super-rich heritage of the brand. Longines invented the first wristwatch Chronograph in 1913, , the first high-frequency watch in 1929, the first Flyback Chronograph in 1935. So, the history is so rich and that is a fantastic and big surprise to me because of course, it gives me the perfect platform to develop the brand in the coming years.

HT: How, as the new CEO, will your vision look for the brand in the global and U.S. markets?

MB: Today, Longines is performing extremely well and has been for the past 20 years. My mission now is to make sure it stays like this and performs very well for the coming 20 years. I think in terms of strategy, we will use this very rich heritage a lot more in the future of Longines because it gives us a fantastic platform by taking this iconic development Longines has created in the past, and develop based on this exclusive movement in watches that we transfer in a contemporary product strategy. This strategy is aimed at targeting consumers’ demands today… To link such a big heritage to new technologies will bring success for the brand to another level in the coming years.

HT: Where do you plan to take Longines in the future coming years?

MB: In the short-term, we have a big potential in the U.S. and European markets. Longines is by far the world market leader in the 1,000 to 4,000 U.S. dollar product range by bringing state-of-the-art technology in this product range with an unmatched price-value proposition.

Photo Credit: Longines

HT: Tell us about the new Longines Spirit collection and its focus on aviation pioneers.

MB: When people started to hear that we were going to watch a pilot watch, some people said, ‘Oh no, not another brand launching a pilot watch.’ But when you look at the history, in particular in the first half of the 20th Century, the history of Longines with aviation and pilots is so rich and probably much richer than any other brand in the watch industry…

With the product, some elements correspond to this heritage from the past. You will see these heritage elements in the dials, the hands and the case of the product, but at the same time, Longines brings in state-of-the-art technology to this new product with the silicon balance spring that guarantees the watch is resistant against magnetic fields. Magnetic fields are definitely the biggest problem when it comes to precision.

We try to speak in the collection’s marketing about the heritage and the pioneers of today, which is a very contemporary message that in order to innovate, to move forward, to take risks, this (pioneering spirit) is the only way we are able to move forward for the future.

HT: What is unique about this collection?

MB: What is very unique is this exceptional and outstanding ratio of value versus price. The product has a finish and technology inside that normally you will only find in products that are valued very high in the market.

Of course, today, nobody buys a watch to just read the time. But you buy a watch today because you have an affinity and passion for the whole world of aviation (or what the watch stands for). It doesn’t mean if you wear a pilot watch today, you go take off on your airplane. It stands for an emotion and affinity for this world of pioneering, aviation and that’s something in particular for men, that is very important because many of us work in industries where we are obliged to abide by a strict dress code. And we have few and little possibilities to express ourselves, so the watch is the perfect accessory to make a personal statement.

HT: How has the brand shifted its focus heavily on e-commerce in recent years?

MB: At the beginning of the year, we already had a very strong e-commerce rollout plan, but of course the COVID situation accelerated this. Today, we are in a position where we already have e-commerce in half of our subsidiaries around the globe, and we will cover all our subsidiaries around the world by the end of next year. But then, of course, we also have very strong retail partners in the U.S. that sell our watches on their e-comm sites. In countries like the U.S., we’re already achieving 10-percent of our turnover on e-comm, so that is definitely going to accelerate in the future. We believe also in the omnichannel approach to link brick and mortar stores because people still want to have advice and come to help them experience the collection in a point of sales and have physical contact with the watch—to feel the watch, to try it out and get advice. Of course, for us, it’s very important for us to have these brick and mortar stores in the most important areas to shop around the globe.