The Wristwatch Exhibition Room

The historiography of watchmaking generally confers great importance on the object itself, focusing on its technical development and evolution. Yet understanding the context in which a watch is produced is essential: its cultural, economic, social, industrial and technological dimensions put its manufacture and marketing into perspective and can even explain why it was made. The technical history of watches often leaves out these considerations in order to concentrate solely on the timepiece itself. This is the case, for example, for the wristwatch on the surface, it remains basically unchanged throughout history but closer inspection reveals the traces of its evolution linked to the culture of its time, the influence of technological developments or fundamental changes in the watchmaking industry. During the first third of the 20th century, Longines began to develop movements specifically designed for wristwatches. Until then, the flying-hourglass brand had concentrated on making movements for pocket watches. While its first wristwatches were essentially adaptations of pocket watch technology, Longines began to create calibres designed especially for timepieces worn on the wrist in around 1916. The brand channelled considerable effort into perfecting “bracelet watches”, in terms of both their movements and their cases. During this period, a design code for watches began to emerge and Longines played a part in its formulation. At the start of the 1950s, the company had developed a wealth of experience in wristwatch manufacture. It had mastered the construction of the movement and was able to put its signature on the design. Drawing inspiration from this aesthetic and technical heritage resulted in the 1957 Flagship collection, the first milestone marked in the Museum’s Wristwatch Exhibition Room. With this line of watches, Longines embarked on a “modern” system of organising its collections, whereby several models were linked by common design styles or technical features. From 1957 onwards, the brand’s production of wristwatches reflected a policy of developing variations within a single family. The Wristwatch Exhibition Room offers an overview of Longines watches that is based on the evolution of their external appearance, disregarding the technological dimension. It displays 1,200 watches created since 1957 and examines the principles of watchmaking design in the second half of the 20th century, the different aesthetic trends that influenced their manufacture and the stylistic imperatives that laid the foundations of a genuine watchmaking tradition.