Longines: Defining Elegance for Nearly Two Centuries

Longines understands the elegance of time. Nearly two-hundred years in the world of watch-making and holding what’s said to be the oldest registered logo still used to today for a watch company gives the brand that familiarity. And so, it was only fitting that when looking to add a new face to their glowing repertoire of Ambassadors of Elegance—a list that includes such high-profile figures as tennis great Andre Agassi, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai, and Asian star Chi Ling Lin—the Swiss high range watchmaker would select to add a figure to the group who was so synonymous with elegance in her own life, that she would seamlessly fill the next seat: Kate Winslet. With every detail as meticulously considered as the intricate workings of their timepieces, Longines feted the introduction of Winslet as their latest choice to share in this honor, as well as the rerelease of the 1997 classic watch collection, the Longines  DolceVita, in none other than the Eternal City of Rome, Italy.

Life is Sweet

Longines’ DolceVita collection was always meant to be a modern-day representation of elegance named after a universal idea about the zestful, Italian way of life. The bold, rectangular case spoke to the woman who used her time to enjoy the sweetest moments that life has to offer. So when adding the newest versions to the collection, a line that continues to be appreciated by women worldwide even 13 years after its inception, Longines journeyed to Italy, ambassadresses in tow, to deliver their message of the sweet life as it applies to the women of today.

Rai, Lin, and Winslet represent a veritable cross section of cultures, each embodying the contemporary idea of elegance that is instep with the Longines message. The ladies came together in Rome to film a commercial for the collection that would clearly communicate just that. Approached as a short film, the three stars acted under the direction of Matthieu Mantovani to recreate the special idiosyncrasies of the elegant woman’s lifestyle, one that Winslet only hoped to be able to deliver from a very honest place. “I would hope to offer a message of honesty and strength, and belief in oneself, as that’s why Longines invited me to become a part of this company, because of me. So I was very aware of trying to be true to myself,” she explained to Haute Living from her suite at the Rome Cavalieri Hotel. Her mission was accomplished as the campaign images speak to the inner workings of each of the three ambassadresses; individually striking—telling the story of each woman while speaking to the common factor of the freedom to be elegant in your own way. A freedom that isn’t always easy when you’re used to acting as a character quite often the opposite of who you are; shared Winslet, adding that acting is an entirely different experience when the character that you’re channeling is in fact yourself. “It is quite different actually, you don’t want to be yourself, you want to hide behind a character, but you have to try and be you and have fun and embody yourself, embody who you are as a woman, that’s such an incredible position to be in.” The new watches in the collection aim to help every woman find that one piece that speaks to her own personal character. Launching in three different sizes, employing the use of yellow and rose gold by which to complement the steel, and even injecting some with diamonds, the decision becomes individual and a matter of selecting the piece that most speaks to you.