![]() “I was a machine back then,” he said with neither pride nor nostalgia. Later that evening, halfway through a meal of fondue, schnitzel and cherry schnapps, von Känel began to tell of his days as an international competitive cross-country skier, and how he managed to keep that level of fitness while heading up one of Switzerland’s largest watch companies. During our interview in his decidedly paper-oriented office, von Känel reached into an unwieldy pile and pulled a folder filled with images of counterfeits of recent Longines models, explaining that the company is working to bust this latest effort.Ĭounterfeiting is a very real concern for Longines despite its largely approachable price point. When asked what the greatest challenges are for Longines today, von Känel immediately said, “Counterfeiting.” In fact, he considers fighting counterfeiting one of their most pressing and demanding ongoing projects, one that involves employing scouts to find the counterfeiters as well as sending investigators to work with police to break up these schemes. Annual revenues crest above $1 billion, making Longines one of only five Swiss watch brands who can make this claim. Von Känel speaks frankly of the demands to keep Longines a leader in this position, and currently the brand holds well over 30% of that market globally. ![]() Longines’ prices begin in the mid hundreds and top out in the lower tens-of-thousands for solid gold references, but most of their watches hover in the $750 to $2,500 range. Fighting the Good FightĪs part of The Swatch Group, Longines occupies the price category above Tissot and below Omega. And yet Longines’ CEO Walter von Känel insists that the company will never make a smartwatch - today 80% of their business is in mechanical watches. An analysis of these devices alone could be a topic for a lengthy dissertation on 20th-century design. ![]() Their collection of timekeeping devices is a fascinating journey through different technological eras, beginning with mechanical watches and moving through primitive analog computing devices and early digital ones. ![]() ![]() Longines has been the Official Timekeeper for both the Summer and Winter Olympics, The Kentucky Derby, multiple Formula 1 events, professional tennis tournaments, and much more. ![]()
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