Henry Cavill on Longines: From Superman to Swiss valleys, and why we still need watches

Andrew McUtchen

There’s something beautifully anachronistic about Henry Cavill’s journey into watches. Here’s a man who’s spent his career embodying the cutting edge of modern entertainment – from Superman’s CGI cape to the elaborate fantasy worlds of The Witcher – yet he’s found himself utterly captivated by the 17th-century artisanship still thriving in Swiss valleys. “It’s almost a sin to call it simplistic,” Henry Cavill tells me during our chat, “but in its complexity, there is something simplistic and pure about having a wristwatch.” It’s a sentiment that perfectly captures both the man and the brand Henry Cavill has come to represent.

The valley of peace

Cavill’s recent visit to the Longines manufacture in Saint-Imier wasn’t just another celebrity factory tour. Speaking from what sounds like genuine wonder, he describes driving into “a Swiss valley in summer” that felt “literally like something out of a storybook.” Only one train, one road, steep mountain sides creating a narrow corridor of calm. But it was inside the manufacture where the real magic happened. “There was a real sense of peace there,” he reflects. “It was just calm and quiet… then you go into the workshop and it’s just elevated even more so.”

The actor was given the rare opportunity to participate in the watchmaking process itself, assembling hands and enamel faces into cases at one stage of production. “Each task is not an easy task,” he observes. “No matter what bench you’re at, it requires serious focus. I was just thinking what it’s like for me when I’m painting all day – I’m exhausted afterwards because of the level of focus it requires. And these people do it all day, every day.”

The human element

What struck Henry Cavill most wasn’t the precision machinery or the spotless laboratory conditions (complete with lab coats and shoe covers to prevent any errant Superman hairs ending up in someone’s timepiece). It was the people.

“The thing which really got me was the level of passion everyone had there,” he says. “It wasn’t a bunch of bored people going around, going, ‘we’ve got another visitor.’ It was more of a, ‘there’s someone here and how exciting that we get to show them what we’re doing.'”

This enthusiasm extended to the heritage department, where master watchmakers restore vintage pieces using an extraordinary archive of original components dating back to pre-1900, complete with serial numbers and paperwork for each individual piece. “It just boggles the mind, the level of work they’re doing,” Cavill marvels.

A brand that touches lives

Unlike many luxury watch brands that maintain an air of exclusivity, Longines has always been refreshingly accessible. “Everyone seems to have a connection to Longines because it isn’t a sort of elite, wealthy people only brand,” I mention, recalling my own visit to the manufacture’s incredible archives.

For Henry Cavill, however, his first real interaction with the brand came through his ambassadorship. “Amazingly, my first memories were speaking to Longines themselves,” he admits, though he’d encountered the brand peripherally through show jumping events they sponsor and time. What resonated with him was learning that Longines wasn’t named after its founder, but after “the long fields, long meadows that the workshop was built in. And I think there’s something really special about that. There’s something which doesn’t scream ego – it screams of something far more important.”

What’s on the wrist of Henry Cavill?

Currently on Cavill’s wrist rotation: the Spirit Zulu Time (“I wear that more than my other watches at the moment”), the Master Collection GMT in pink gold, and the coveted Ultra-Chron Carbon. “There’s quite a spread of aesthetic style there, and I’m still really diving into it,” he says. “I’m just enjoying the journey so much.”

When pressed about designing his own timepiece, Cavill gravitates toward “understated elegance” – the Master Collection GMT territory rather than the sportier Ultra-Chron. Though he’s quick to add, “I probably need to take a lot of time to make all the right decisions there” – spoken like a true convert to the horological obsession.

Why do we still wear time

In an age where our phones tell time, send emails, and create endless digital noise, why do we still strap mechanical devices to our wrists? Cavill’s answer is both practical and philosophical.

“There’s something nice about flicking your wrist up and something of beauty meets your eye,” he explains. “That’s all it takes – rather than you having to pull your phone out of your pocket. And then once you pull your phone out, you see all the emails you’ve got. And so you start thinking about that rather than thinking about anything else.” It’s about focus, about cutting through the noise. “As wonderful as smartphones are, they create a lot of noise, both figuratively and literally.”

“The Sickness” begins

When I suggest that Cavill shows all the signs of becoming a highly addicted watch lover, rating him as heading toward the “high eight pluses” on the enthusiasm scale, he doesn’t disagree. “I think I’ll end up in the high eight pluses as well,” he laughs. “I have an enormous advantage in that I have a very close relationship with Longines. And so I’m going to take full advantage of that relationship and get to know every single little detail… which I’m discovering some wonderful ones, especially in the Spirit Zulu Time watch. There are some hidden details in there which really tickle me.”

Watch this space

Our conversation ends with Cavill making a promise that’s both literal and metaphorical. When discussing his future as a watch aficionado, he delivers what might be the perfect watchmaker’s pun: “If you’ll excuse the pun, watch this space.” It’s a fitting conclusion from an actor who’s found something genuinely meaningful in the intersection of craftsmanship, tradition, and quiet precision.

In a world of CGI spectacle and digital noise, there’s something profoundly appealing about mechanical poetry ticking away on your wrist. And with mysterious Warhammer projects brewing and a deepening relationship with Swiss watchmaking, Henry Cavill’s horological journey is just beginning. We’ll be watching – pun absolutely intended.