Longines

Auguste Agassiz founded his company in 1832 in the Swiss town of Saint-Imier – a location where the company headquarters still resides today. Together with two watch dealers named Raiguel Henri and Florian Morel, Agassiz opened up his watch shop and specialized in a small range of services. Within a short period of time, the Longines name acquired a good reputation and before long, became highly demanded pieces.

In 1854, the nephew of Agassiz, Ernest Francillon, took over the company management and brought about several changes. He envisioned the great potential residing beneath the production of company movements and decided to streamline the vertical integration of the Longines manufacturing process. In 1866, Francillon purchased property outside of the Saint-Imier region that was called “Les Longines” or “the long meadows”. There, the skilful entrepreneur constructed a factory that henceforth-produced Longines manufactured pocket watches.

The success was extraordinary as the demand for high-quality Longines watches grew so rapidly that Francillon was soon forced to defend himself against counterfeiting. In 1889, Francillon had registered the Longines brand at the Federal Office for Intellectual Property. As a result, Longines became the first registered watch brand in the world. The famous Longines motif with the winged hourglass remains a strong brand logo to this day.

Trains, automobiles, and the start of aviation – the end of the 19th century saw advancement in mobility. It comes as no surprise however that Longines manufacturers began developing their own chronograph movement in1879. These efforts were well worth their while as Longines raked in great success in terms of the short-term measurement of time. The company had developed the Longines chronograph movement’s 13.33ZZ and 13ZN, which are now considered to be classic calibres in the field of watchmaking.

The first mechanical ladies pendant watch from Longines was introduced in 1903 – three years following the passing of Francillon. In 1905, Longines produced its first watch for men that gradually displaced the pocket watch. As a result, Longines further established itself as a manufacturer of functional and reliable timepieces throughout the world. Be it New York, London, or Berlin, Longines timepieces have come to be world-renowned. In 1945, the celebrated company launched its first wristwatch with automatic winding – the calibre 22A.

In 1954, Longines developed the first quartz clock, which was distinguished by outstanding accuracy and received several Observatory prizes. From this moment onward, Longines presented both mechanical and electronic timepieces, which is a feature that still distinguishes the current collection from Longines. In addition to traditional automatic and manual wind watches, Longines also manufactures sports quartz watches and, therefore, provides a diverse range of products for a diverse range of clients.

Longines has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with aviation, hence the hourglass with wings brand symbol. As early as 1919, Longines has been the official supplier of the International Aeronautical Federation. Thanks to this cooperation, the manufacturer has been able to provide pioneering pilots with specially developed high-precision navigation instruments, which, as a result, has been able to expand its expertise in the production of aviation timepieces.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh conducted a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean. He was, therefore, the first pilot to cross the vast body of water alone. Following this feat, the pioneering pilot collaborated with Longines in the development of an aviation watch that would easily allow any pilot to quickly and easily determine their longitude position while simultaneously operating a flight. Since Lindbergh had experienced positioning difficulties during his flight over the Atlantic, he was the perfect individual to help Longines develop a wristwatch that would solve this problem. The result of the partnership was the so-called “Hour Angle”, which became available for pilots and watch aficionados in the year 1932.

Longines has appointed numerous celebrities and brand ambassadors to represent their exquisite timepieces. The brand ambassadors themselves embody the sporty, elegant, and high-performance features of a Longines timepiece. Among others, former tennis pros Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi take joy in representing the Longines brand. The close connection of the brand to the world of Tennis is further reinforced by the Longines partnership with the French Open Roland Garros.

When it comes to the popular field of film, the talented actress Kate Winslet and the brilliant actor Simon Baker are often captured with stylish Longines timepieces around their wrists. The Indian heartthrob Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is also a face for the Longines brand, along with graceful Chinese actress Chi Ling Lin.

Many of the Longines brand ambassadors are successful athletes, such as the Chinese men’s gymnastics team. Prominent athletes such as the Norwegian skier Aksel Lund Svindal, the Swiss multi-fighter and gymnast Giulia Steingruber, Swiss showjumper Jane Richard, ski ace Mikaela Shiffrin, and rhythmic gymnast Yana Kudryavtseva embody the sportiness and elegance of the brand Longines.