In early March 2026, Bangkok bustled with its familiar evening rhythm, headlights and tuk-tuks threading through traffic while chatter spilled from the sidewalks. However, inside The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, Longines had created a more hushed and elegant world. The ballroom glowed in soft blue-violet tones, as if twilight had been bottled and poured across the space, where selected media flown in from across Southeast Asia gathered to learn more about the brand’s plans and novelties for the year.
Paweensuda Drouin, Miss Universe Thailand 2019 and a top-five finalist at Miss Universe 2019, hosted the evening as MC. Also in attendance were Thai actor Mario Maurer, best known for “Love of Siam” (2007) and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (2010), and Yannick Jenni, Longines’ Vice President Sales International, who offered a brief welcome and outlined the brand’s direction for the year.
Before dinner, the lights dimmed, and Longines unveiled its latest HydroConquest campaign featuring Henry Cavill on screen. Cleanly shot and quietly persuasive, the film drew the room’s attention in the effortless way only a well-made campaign can. Cavill brought cinematic gravitas, but the watch remained the centrepiece: a modern sports model that still speaks Longines’ language of elegance and utility.
Dinner was finally served, and it began with grilled prawns and lemongrass, then som tam with soft-shell crab. Tom klong talay brought a deeper, more aromatic note, before pan-seared sea bass with sweet chilli paste and baby corn carried the meal into its main course. Dessert was served on a lighter note with bua loy in coconut milk and coconut ice cream. A live dance performance brought the evening to a close, timed to the reveal of the new HydroConquest pieces, and the room responded with genuine applause.
The next morning, the focus shifted fully to the watches. Giuseppe Miccio, Longines’ Head of Product Development, presented the 2026 novelties. The HydroConquest is now available in 39 mm and 42 mm automatic versions, each with 300 metres of water resistance. The ceramic bezel has been refined, the luminous elements strengthened, and a frosted blue sunray dial adds greater depth. A Milanese mesh bracelet gives the watch a sharper, more contemporary edge. A Commonwealth Games edition tied to Glasgow 2026 will also be released in a limited run of 2,026 pieces per size.
The Master Collection updates stay true to the line’s character while giving the details more presence. Applied blue Arabic numerals replace printed ones, a barleycorn texture adds depth, and the hands take on a more sculptural shape. The range now spans 30 mm to 41 mm, with models such as the Chrono Moonphase and mono-pusher chronograph adding technical weight without disturbing the balance.
Other novelties broadened the collection in their own ways. Mini DolceVita and DolceVita continues Longines’ rectangular language with new dial treatments, coloured leather straps and gemstone-set versions. The PrimaLuna appears softer with mother-of-pearl and diamond details. The Conquest Heritage introduces a central power reserve display, while the Legend Diver 59 returns to a more archival mood through vintage-toned Super-LumiNova and period-inspired cues. The Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback rounded out the presentation with a cleaner aviation focus.
A touch-and-feel session followed, giving guests the chance to preview the novelties up close and appreciate the finishing of the cases and bracelets. It is one thing to see a watch on a screen; it is another to feel the bevels, textures and weight, and to watch the light move across the dial. It would be dishonest to say we left without thinking seriously about bringing one, or several, home.
After the product presentation, guests were invited to mix three signature mocktails: Luminous Blue, Frosted Blue and Verdant Green, each reflecting Longines’ elegant palette of hues and tones, with names that mirrored the colours themselves. The activity added a fun, playful touch to the morning while staying neatly in step with the brand’s world.
Throughout the press trip, Longines did what it does best: it showed a clear sense of self, introduced the year ahead with confidence, and reminded everyone exactly where it stands in the watch world. The novelties feel sharp, the identity remains unmistakably its own, and by the end of it, one thing is clear: Longines is ready for the year ahead, and rightly so.
