The transformation of global luxury brands: The case of the Swiss watch company Longines, 1880–2010

Abstract

This article discusses the transformation of global brands between the 1880s and the early twenty-first century, through the example of the Swiss watch company Longines. It shows that the concept of ‘global brand’ changed over time and was related to the nature of the product. Until the 1970s, luxury was linked to precision. Manufacturers focused on the production of movements and adapted the design of end products to each market. Yet the paradigm shift brought about by electronics led to a new definition of luxury during the 1990s, a change which led to a new generation of global brands.

Keywords:

• Luxury goods
• brand management
• global brand
• watch industry
• Switzerland

Notes

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18. Donzé, A Business History of the Swatch Group.

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26. AL, « Rapport Pfister, » 1938.

27. Erastus, The Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition, 353.

28. AL, H512.1–2, registers of invoices by client, 1880–1935.

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30. AL, B32.5, minutes of the Board meeting, 30 November 1956.

31. Ibidem.

32. Ibidem.

33. Ibidem.

34. Ibidem.

35. AL, annual report of the technical manager, 1946–1957.

36. AL, B32.5, Board minutes, 11 September 1975.

37. Seiko, 291–293.

38. Donzé, A Business History of the Swatch Group, 25–37.

39. Ibidem.

40. Ibidem.

41. Richon, Omega Saga.

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43. Allérès, « Spécificités et stratégies marketing. »

44. Henry Bédat, Une région, une passion.

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46. Jones and Pouillard, Christian Dior; Fujioka, “Hyakkaten no Kakushinsei.”

47. Okawa, “Licensing Practices,” 106–107.