Bridging the Atlantic

At the beginning of the 20th century, Longines consolidated the links it had established (going back as far as the time of the Agassiz comptoir) with the American market, an essential outlet for the Swiss watchmaking industry, in spite of the emergence of serious local competition. The Saint-Imier brand became well established in the United States and North America, thanks to the links maintained with Mayor, based in New York, and then with his successor J. Eugène Robert. In 1890, Albert Wittnauer took over the running of the establishment and the Longines representation on the other side of the Atlantic. This New York branch enabled the manufacture in Saint-Imier to sell a major part of its rapidly growing production.

At the factory in Les Longines, for a good deal of effort was undertaken to shift production to an industrial scale. While new various new technologies were adapted for use in movement production, the brand also developed different types of movements for its timepieces. Influenced by a clear trend towards miniaturisation of the movement, Longines was now marketing its first wristwatches, although the pocket watch still took the lion’s share of its production. In 1900, the achievements of the “winged hourglass” brand were appropriately rewarded with the Grand Prix awarded at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. On the cusp of the 20th century, this recognition, taken in conjunction with the prizes won on similar occasions, reflected the progress made by the Longines factory since 1867 in putting in place a different system of production that was subject to systematic quality control.