Rendez-Vous

WALTER VON KAENEL

PRESIDENT, LONGINES

Has the economic slowdown affected you?
Economic slowdown hasn’t affected Longines in India, China and Hong Kong. There is no cut in marketing or operational expenses. We are still investing in growth and expansion. We have already seen positive signs in the first quarter of calendar 2009. Retailers are placing orders and this encouraging. I give full credit to the trade for being so positive and willing to face the challenges head on. And the financers and bankers are backing the trade fully. This is a great sign for the horological economy.

Tell us about the plans for India?
We signed up with Aishwarya Rai again and she is our global brand ambassador now. In fact, she has made the brand more popular amongst Indian women, who are now showing a greater penchant for Longines watches than ever before. We are looking at more franchise stores. We shall focus on distribution and quality of sales and service. We have unveiled an eclectic mix of products this year at Baselworld. Several products in different categories sell more in India than anywhere else in the world. It’s a testimony to the success of our advertising and marketing strategy.

Why are you passionate and protective about the Swiss-made tag?
Swiss-made is a state of mind. It intrinsically refers to the best that comes from Switzerland. The FH has been working with the European Union to work out the new norms and regulations pertaining to every aspect of the ‘Swiss-made’ tag including the movements, hands, dials, cases, etc. Swatch Group has taken several steps to protect our turf including the measures to stop  selling any quartz movements in Hong Kong. Swiss-made is all about Swizterland and it is upto us to preserve and protect this unique proposition.

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