DAMANAUGUST/SEPTEMBER201973“A standard Longines watch that I always go back
to is my first ever Longines watch, the Flagship
Heritage, which, I think, is a classic,” he pointed
out. “If you looked at that next to this,” he said
while showing the Record watch he was wearing
at the time, “they're very different, but you can
understand why I’m drawn to both.”
It also became much clearer why he was drawn
to the idea of collaborating with Longines and
why the relationship has lasted so long. “Just like
with any relationship, the more time you spend
with someone, the more you get to know them.
So, I’ve gotten to know Maya, for instance over
seven years,” he said, gesturing to Maya Robert-
Nicoud, the brand’s International Marketing
Project Manager in charge of VIPs and Brand
Ambassadors, “so I kind of know what Maya will
understand about me and she understands aspect
of me that I can’t articulate.”
“She can pull out a watch and say, ‘I think
you’re going to like this one,’” Baker added, “and
I’ll go, ‘Oh, perfect!’”
“The idea of the key elements of tradition,
performance and elegance ... when you first
join you see those as marketing words,” Baker
reflected, “but the more time I’ve spent [with the
brand], the more I understand that that is really
the true foundation of what this brand is.”legance, as the motto of Swiss watch
brand Longines goes, is an attitude.
And it would seem that being
elegant comes naturally to Simon
Baker. We met the star of “The
Mentalist” just before he was set to
attend the Prix de Diane Longines
(see the Special Report section of this issue for
our write-up of the storied race) in Chantilly,
France. The day before, he and fellow Ambassador
of Elegance Kate Winslet wrapped up a photo
shoot featuring Longines’ Record watches and
then attended a party celebrating the collection at
the Château de Chantilly.
It would be another busy day for him, but
Baker graciously set aside a bit of time to chat
about watches and his continued collaboration
with Longines.
“When I was a young man, a watch was kind
of the first prestigious item that one could own,”
the Australian actor/director remarked about his
introduction to the world of horlogerie. “It was a
very aspirational thing to have a watch.” Today, his
tastes tends to lean towards classical watches with
traditional aesthetics. “But I love seeing it when
it’s slightly updated,” Baker added, “which is great
with Longines because they have such a long
history of making watches—since 1832—that
they have a lot of models that are very classic.”
Naturally, many of these vintage models would
then inspire new watches where the more classical
design elements have been updated to become
more in line with today’s aesthetics. “Which
I think is definitely the case with the Record
collection,” Baker said of the collection he’s now
promoting. “It’s very simple, very elegant, very
understated ... and it’s also very contemporary.”
“I do like the Record model,” Baker continued.
“I think the Record will be, in the future, an
absolute classic.” The Golden Globe and Emmy
nominated actor, though, has been an Ambassador
of Elegance for Longines since 2012, and he
apparently already has a favourite go-to timepiece.PROFILE
AUSTRALIAN ACTOR/DIRECTOR AND LONGINES
AMBASSADOR OF ELEGANCE SIMON BAKER TALKS ABOUT
HIS FASCINATION WITH WATCHES AND THE STORIED
SWISS BRAND WITH DA MAN’S JOEZER MANDAGIATTUNED TO
THE CLASSICS
E
“Who knows how long I will be an
ambassador?” he then remarked. “There will be
other people that come through, but I know
that when I’m an old man, this brand will still
be a brand that has the foundations of tradition,
performance, and elegance. And there’ll be
someone else that will feel as proud as I was to be
sitting here.”
All that being said, what does it really mean
for Baker to be an Ambassador of Elegance
for Longines? Does it go beyond watches? Is
elegance something that is inherent in his daily
life? “I don’t translate it into my daily life,” Baker
answered with a grin. “It’s an external perception.
For me—and this is what’s wonderful about
Longines—is that as I’ve gotten to know them,
they understand who I am and are accepting of
me. So, I get to be myself ... completely.”
“They chose me, I like their watches, we have a
good symbiotic good relationship,” he concluded.
“I understand what my role is, I’m happy and
proud that I still feel that I can completely be
myself, whether I’m sitting here in a lovely suit
wearing a beautiful watch or two weeks ago when
I was surfing on a boat in the Maldives with a
Longines watch on as well. I felt truthful to who
I was in that moment as much as I feel truthful to
who I am in this moment.”“THE IDEA OF THE KEY ELEMENTS
OF TRADITION, PERFORMANCE AND
ELEGANCE ... WHEN YOU FIRST JOIN YOU
SEE THOSE AS MARKETING WORDS, BUT
THE MORE TIME I’VE SPENT [WITH THE
BRAND], THE MORE I UNDERSTAND THAT
THAT IS REALLY THE TRUE FOUNDATION
OF WHAT THIS BRAND IS”