“Our goal is to remain the leader in our price segment for the next 20 years”
From March 8 to March 10, I had the opportunity, as a member of the Sat na Ruci team, to attend the Longines Trade & Press Meeting in Vienna, following an invitation from Longines and Malbasic Company from Banja Luka. During the event we had the opportunity to meet representatives of the brand, discuss the company’s strategy and future plans, and see firsthand the new models Longines is preparing for 2026. We will present those novelties in more detail very soon.
A special honor for me was the opportunity to speak with Patrick Aoun, President and CEO of Longines. At the beginning of our conversation I thanked our hosts for the invitation and their hospitality.
Ognjen Vidovic:
Mr. Aoun, it is a great pleasure and an honor to be here today in Vienna.
On behalf of the specialized watch media Sat na Ruci, on behalf of Malbasic Company from Banja Luka, who kindly proposed me for this opportunity, and on my own behalf, I would like to sincerely thank you for the invitation and your hospitality.
For me this is a special opportunity to speak firsthand about Longines, a brand with extraordinary heritage and a very clear vision for the future.
Allow me to briefly introduce the media platform I represent. Sat na Ruci is a specialized watch media from the Balkans that focuses on the world of watches and horology. Our audience is spread across the Western Balkans, a region where people speak the same or very similar languages and share a strong interest in this field. We operate through several communication channels, including our online magazine, Instagram and YouTube channels, and we are also present on other major digital platforms.
I would also like to mention that our founder and editor in chief has recently been invited to become a member of the GPHG Academy, Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, which we consider a great recognition of our work and a confirmation of the dedication we have built over the years.
INTERVIEW
Ognjen Vidovic:
To begin, I would like our readers to get to know you a little better. Could you tell us more about your professional journey in the world of horology and how your career within Longines has evolved?
Patrick Aoun:
„I started with Longines in the month of February 2007, so nearly twenty years, nineteen years now. When I started, I was taking care of the Middle East. After some years my responsibilities grew to include Southeast Asian markets. Later I was looking after the India subsidiary for the group as management delegate. Since June 2025 I have been serving as President and CEO of the brand.“
Ognjen Vidovic:
Twenty years in one company is truly impressive, especially in the watch industry. Given your long experience within Longines and the fact that you are now the CEO of the brand, how do you personally see the evolution and future of Longines over the next ten to twenty years?
Patrick Aoun:
„The good thing about Longines is that it is a brand you know what to expect from.
Longines is a brand that has existed for nearly two hundred years and throughout those years the brand has been consistent in its approach.
If you want to look at the last twenty years, our mission was to be leaders in our price segment. Our price segment is roughly between one thousand and four or five thousand Swiss francs retail.
This was our mission and we achieved it successfully. Today Longines is one of the biggest Swiss brands globally.
Therefore the mission for the next twenty years will be no surprise. We want to remain leaders in this price segment.
If today you want to think of a reputable brand you can trust, a brand you can rely on for quality, credibility, aesthetics, innovation and elegance, all within a price point of two or three thousand euros, it is difficult to name another brand that delivers this like Longines.
This is our strength and we want to build on it.
I will not steer away from everything that made us who we are today. Longines is a brand people know they can trust.
That is the power of being a timeless brand.
A timeless brand means you buy a watch today and you can still wear it twenty years from now because it will still work, it will still be relevant and it will not be obsolete.“
Ognjen Vidovic:
That is an excellent answer. In fact you have already addressed several of my next questions. Still, I would like to briefly touch on something that is often associated with Longines. The brand has long been defined by three key values, tradition, performance and elegance. How central are these values to the brand’s strategy today?
Patrick Aoun:
„You see, this is a strategic position. This is strategic and it is intentional. It is not forced on us, it is intentional. We see an opportunity and we see a large portion of people who would love to own a piece they can be proud of. Longines fits exactly in that domain.
You mentioned the three criteria, elegance, performance and tradition. These are the values we live by.
When we say performance, what does performance mean?
Longines has long been known for its precision and reliability as an official timekeeper for many sports events around the world. From federations to sports associations to big events, world championships and World Cups. Why? Because all these partners know they can trust Longines.
Being an official timekeeper is a big responsibility. You cannot go wrong timing.
As early as 1910, more than one hundred and ten years ago, we already developed high precision movements measuring one tenth of a second.
Can you imagine the pioneering spirit we had and still have?
Therefore when we speak of performance, it is not just a nice word we found in the dictionary and added to our profile. It is really what Longines is about.
Performance means a brand you can trust for reliability and quality.
Elegance is another pillar that is part of who we are. Our watches are timeless.
Elegance is the thread that connects our past to our present, across generations, across countries and across ages. Elegance is timeless and our watches are timeless. That is why elegance is who we are.
And tradition, we are proud of who we are. Tradition does not mean obsolete. Tradition does not mean outdated. Tradition does not mean living in the past. Tradition means respecting who you are, knowing your identity and living by your values.
At the same time we remain relevant and modern in how we express these values.“
Ognjen Vidovic:
We prepared this question a few weeks ago, but unfortunately the situation in the world seems even more complex today. We are living in a period of global political and economic uncertainty. There are wars, trade tensions and constant changes in tariffs and customs duties. How do these global factors affect long term strategy and planning for Swiss watch brands such as Longines?
Patrick Aoun:
„You know, I believe that today’s normality is volatility.
The world is moving at a much faster pace than it used to thirty or forty years ago. Things are constantly changing. I will give you an illustration. We should be like water, like flowing water. Flowing water always finds its way. Stagnant water becomes a swamp.
If you sit still complaining, giving excuses and saying the world is not okay, you will not move forward, you will regress. You must be like flowing water. You adapt, you navigate, you find opportunities, you think, you find solutions. That is the beauty of challenges. Challenges force us to think differently. They force us to think outside the box. The world may be complicated, but that does not mean we should feel discouraged. We should carry a positive attitude. We should carry an elegant attitude.
When you are elegant you think calmly and objectively. You analyze things. You do not panic. You plan your future with clarity, knowing who you are and what you stand for. We know what Longines stands for.
We continue doing products that are timeless, elegant, reliable and offer great value for money.
And we continue bringing joy to people.
Because when someone buys a Longines watch, whether for themselves or as a gift, it brings joy. It creates emotion. It creates a moment of celebration.
In difficult times like today I like to believe Longines brings a smile to people’s lives.“
Ognjen Vidovic:
First of all, thank you for giving us the opportunity to see the new models you presented. We saw several exceptional pieces and I believe our audience will be very excited to discover them, although they will need to be a little patient.
Now a question that personally interests me. As a big fan of GMT and second time zone complications I was genuinely impressed when you introduced the Longines Spirit Zulu Time a few years ago.
Can we expect further developments in this direction in the near future? Perhaps even a sport elegant model featuring a World Time complication?
Patrick Aoun:
„Right now our plan is to continue building on the Spirit collection that we launched a few years ago.
You saw in the presentation this year the new models we introduced.
For the Spirit Zulu Time we have plans for 2027. It will not be a world timer. But never say never.
We had world timers in the past. For now our focus is on our core collections, collections that are strong sellers.
HydroConquest is a watch for everyone.
The Master Collection is for someone who wants elegance, craftsmanship and complications at a great price point.
World timer watches are niche products. Niche is not my strategy right now. My strategy is to increase volume and market share. To do that we need watches that appeal to a larger audience rather than a niche audience.“
Ognjen Vidovic:
Finally, a slightly personal question. Is there any chance you could introduce me to Superman one day?
After all, he is a Longines ambassador.
Patrick Aoun smiled and replied:
„If we have an event in Europe soon where Henry Cavill will be present, we will make sure to invite you.“
This conversation offered a valuable opportunity to hear firsthand how Longines sees its future in a rapidly changing world. Despite global challenges, Patrick Aoun’s message is clear. The brand remains committed to the values that have defined it for nearly two centuries, elegance, performance and tradition.
At the same time Longines continues strengthening its position as one of the leading Swiss brands in the accessible luxury segment. The focus remains on timepieces that combine timeless design, reliability and strong value for money.
The novelties we had the opportunity to see in Vienna clearly show that the brand continues on this path. We will present the new models arriving in 2026 in more detail very soon on Sat na Ruci.
