English Version | How to stop time

“That's the thing with time, isn't it? It's not all the same. Some days - some years - some decades - are empty. There is nothing to them. It's just flat water. And then you come across a year, or even a day, or an afternoon. And it is everything. It is the whole thing.” The outburst is taken from the book How to Stop Time (2017), by the English writer Matt Haig. More than a warning, it's a confession: time is that abstract but continuous thing that nobody can define for sure, and yet it conditions our entire existence. Nowadays, “having time” is the most precious commodity of all. That's precisely why wearing a watch helps us, in a way, to "stop time." One of the brands that does this in the most sophisticated way is Longines, which manages to convey sobriety and elegance in a subtle balance between classic and bold. The latter has, in fact, been the pillar of the house since its beginnings, always inspiring the lines, shapes and materials of its watches. Expressed through the famous slogan "Elegance is an attitude", this value has been shared worldwide by renowned figures such as Oscar-winners Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence. In Portugal, the Swiss brand has found in Maria Cerqueira Gomes the ideal figure to take on the role of official ambassador. The presenter, one of the most elegant women in the country, has a "complicated" relationship with time due to her busy schedule, which forces her to travel between Porto and Lisbon several times. Despite this, she makes sure she knows how to manage everything to the minute, or she wouldn't be a fan of clocks and routines. Apart from certain times, such as holidays, when she leaves her schedule behind. When she finally manages to stop time.

You have an obviously busy schedule, so time has an even greater impact on your day-to-day life. How do you manage all your commitments and, even more so, how do you find time for everything? It's a matter of planning and priorities and I'm very strict, almost Germanic, on that point, I think that's the only way to have a life with less stress. If we can organize ourselves with planning, not keeping anyone waiting, for me that's a basic principle of good manners and respect for others.

Are you a routine person, highly organized, sticking to your schedule step by step, or do you prefer to leave room for unexpected decisions? Yes, I'm a routine person, but I love getting out of it. I consider myself a very organized person when it comes to both my professional and personal life. When I'm on holiday I relax and don't look at the clock. But in my day-to-day life, living in one city and working in another, the only solution is a well-established routine.

What is your relationship with punctuality: do you appreciate it, do you try to fulfil it, do you understand those who aren't on time...? I really appreciate punctuality and I don't try to keep to it, I actually do, because I think it's a matter of principle. I don't understand people who aren't on time, for me it's disrespectful. Of course, everyone has unforeseen circumstances, but if a person isn't on time, I think that says a lot about them.

It's very common these days to talk about "quality time". What would be your definition of this concept, or what do you idealize as "quality time"? Quality time, for me, doesn't mean a lot of time, it means that the time we have available for someone or for a certain task is well spent. The best example of this is: I often come and go to Lisbon on the same day because I'm not going to spend much time with my son, but I know that dinner time and the 45 minutes I'm going to spend with him before bed are only 45 minutes, but they are quality time. I could have picked him up from school, spent four or five hours with him and been on my mobile phone working and it wouldn't have been quality time. So, for me, "quality time" is time that is well used.

I read somewhere that you didn't wear a watch for many years, until you finally bought one that you really liked. Can you tell us what was so special about that piece? It's a watch that I like and that I think is timeless. It's special to me and will always be special because it took me a while to buy it and I love it so much!

In a fast-paced world full of smartphones, apps and the like, what is the place of a (good) watch? Can it also be an extension of the wearer - a piece of jewelry, an accessory, a personality trait? Or is carrying the time on your wrist another way of "controlling" time? A watch defines a person, it's not just a watch, it's like a bag or a pair of shoes. It's clearly a reflection of our image and what we want to convey to others. For me, it's much more than a piece that we use to keep track of our time.

How did your connection with Longines begin, and what made you agree to be associated with the Swiss brand? Our connection began when we went to Ascot, we'd been “courting” for some time and that's when we cemented it. I identify a lot with the design and values conveyed by the brand, and this connection we're creating makes a lot of sense to me.

What can we expect in the near future from this collaboration? I hope a lot, and a lot outside the box.

This issue of Vogue Portugal is dedicated to love. In your opinion, when it comes to love, is time a good advisor? Time is the best advisor, even when we're not talking about love.

*Originally translated from the Love & Hope Issue, published December 2023. Full credits and stories in the print issue.