To my knowledge, Longio is one of the only Chinese watch brands trying to push and market their tourbillon watches aggressively. I reviewed one of their Telamon 1000m Tourbillon Dive watches here, and originally discussed Longio Chinese tourbillon watches here. You can find more information about the brand in those articles. Here I would like to share with you a few of their new, or other pieces. I visited them at Baselworld and snapped some shots - though the above images of the green numeraled Asamara Tourbillon were sent to me from Longio themselves.
The Asamara Tourbillon watch is probably their most distinctive piece. It also features what I call an "architectural" design that the Telamon Diver watch also had. Not that they look the same, but they feel as though they are adapted building designs as opposed to traditional watch designs. All the watches here have a certain "polish" to their case designs. It makes them feel modern looking and easy on the eyes. They aren't the highly complex designs that some other brands gravitate towards, but feel more like frames for the dials and movements. They are also all designs based on having a low number of parts in the case design. Thus, the designs play with shapes, cuts, and polishes.
It is true that Longio is efficient with parts, meaning that you'll see the same hands or cases on a number of models. I see it as economical experimentation. Unlike many boring euro-copycat Chinese watches, you see a distinct level of unique design in Longio pieces that still feel as though they fit in the watch industry. The Asamara watch certain conjures up this sentiment, as does the watch with the engraved dial, and the other roundish watch with the green numerals. Apologies for not having all the model names at my disposal.
Some of the best Longio Tourbillon watches are sport pieces - or at least sporty looking ones. Rubber straps and clear faces are enhanced with tourbillon complications. Perhaps not the tourbillon watch for everyone, but still interesting and marketable. A real "easy on the eyes" aesthetic that I can appreciate. For the ladies is a tourbillon watch as well. This is a more fancy watch for sure. An horizontally oblong case in polished steel with a mother-of-pearl dial, semi-precious stones around the bezel, and a date with moon phase indicator subdial. The applied hour markers and hands are attractive as well. It might not have as polished a design as those coming from Europe, but the price is comparatively fractional.
The above green Asamara Tourbillon watch is Ref. SG3826 and is limited to just 100 pieces. It has a DLC (not PVD) coated steel case and is priced at $7,239. That is about the upper range area of their watches, but I have seen a few that go to $8,000. There are tourbillon models they have that go down to $2,000 - $3,000. Longio has some good machinery and interesting designers (like I keep saying). If you are looking for a lower priced tourbillon watch and must have one within reach, Longio would be a place to look.
