LONGINES x OTIS HOPE CAREY
Exclusive NATO straps
Heritage rejuvenated by contemporary art
Longines is delighted to announce its first collaboration with Australian Indigenous artist Otis Hope Carey who has designed bespoke artwork for a collection of special edition NATO watch straps.
Drawing on values of elegance, tradition and performance so dear to Longines, the collection is an ode to a shared reverence and synergy for tradition and its power to shape craft. The bespoke artworks designed are a direct reference to Carey’s heritage and spiritual connection to the ocean.
“My approach to painting is bold and masculine yet soft and feminine, and that’s exactly how I see Longines' approach to the watches.” - Otis Hope Carey
NATO Strap
“The artworks I designed for this collaboration are a direct reference to my spiritual connection with the ocean.”
Contemporary elegance combined with technical excellence
Contemporary elegance combined with technical excellence
Inspired by his spiritual connection to the ocean and using the totem of the Gumbaynggirr people, Carey’s artwork accompanies the Longines HydroConquest GMT Collection that combines technical excellence and elegance taking inspiration from the world of water sports. The four watch straps in green, orange, blue and black, were carefully crafted from a body of work Carey created evocative of the Ocean and expertly stitched onto NATO straps made from recycled materials.
NATO straps made from recycled materials
About The Artist
Otis Hope Carey is a proud Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung Man, artist and professional surfer. Carey started off as a successful professional surfer, winning the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles twice, before turning to art. He held his first solo exhibition with China Heights Gallery in 2016 and continues to exhibit his work both in Sydney and internationally. To date, his three main bodies of work focus on the ocean, an important clan totem for the Gumbaynggirr people of the mid-north coast of New South Wales.
While working mainly in acrylic on canvas, Carey has recently started using wood sculpture to explore his chosen themes, reinterpreting fragments of traditional symbols and stories to promote a bridging of cultures and understanding across communities. Crucial to Carey’s practice is the sharing of experience and the process of healing, reflecting on the artist’s connection to country, the ocean and ceremony. His work is distinctive in its boldness and undeniably contemporary character. Carey was a finalist for the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2018 and 2020 finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Elegance is an attitude
Elegance is an attitude
Longines lives and breathes its famous slogan “Elegance is an attitude”. Elegance, of course, is an instinctive, elusive concept. We see it in every Longines watch, where every detail enhances the harmony of the whole piece. This is also the case with this bespoke collaboration, whose elegance is apparent in its bold colours and artistic hand crafted details. Longines and Otis possess a mutual respect towards celebrating tradition in both their practices to bring elegance to the present. For Carey “attaching elegance to everything we create and do is important. Elegance means to gracefully move through life and that is something I constantly strive for.”
NATO strap Collection
DiscoverLongines acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.