The history of Longines is closely
linked to that of sports timekeeping, and skiing in
particular, which unites strength, technique and precision,
has much in common with the expressive creativity and
skilfulness of the watchmakers of Longines.
Longines developed in 1878 its first pocket chronograph,
known as caliber 20H, and 11 years later produced
the pocket chronograph, caliber 19CH with a 30-minute
counter, which measures fifths of a second. The brand’s
enduring association with skiing began in Chamonix
in 1933, and ever since, winter events have been
the occasion for Longines to distinguish itself through
numerous technological, even revolutionary innovations:
the photoelectric-cell-based light beam barrier device
(1945), the first luminous scoreboard (1962), time
measurement to 1/1000th of a second (1964), an automatic
100 images/second recording system with integrated
individual times (1971), time measurement to 1/10,000th
of a second (1973), the first superimposition of « Longines
Timing » on TV screens (1975)… Although
by no means exhausive, this list of achievements
bears witness nonetheless to the sustained commitment
that has enabled Longines to make its mark in the
world of top-class competition and sports timekeeping.
To each age its own challenges! More than a century
after the first Olympic Games of the modern era,
the difficulties associated with sports timekeeping
have grown considerably. For the men’s downhill,
for example, the FIS requires 5 intermediate times
and 2 speed measurements, in addition to the final
result. To this end, photoelectric cells placed at
intermediate measuring points are activated manually
just before the competitors race past. The FIS requires
that each measurement device be equipped with a secondary
(backup) timing system, and that it be capable of
measurements accurate to 1/100th of a second. The
data is passed immediately (« in real time »)
to TV screens, to each sports commentator, to the
Internet and to the press on site at the venues.
Longines is proud to link its name and its image
once again to this high-level sport. The brand’s
experience and discipline lead it to approach each
competition as a challenge demanding « no-fault » performance.
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