Since its beginning, the story of Longines is characterized by a pioneering spirit, a quest for precision and a timeless vision of elegance. This has led renowned pioneers and sports organisations from around the world to call for Longines' timepieces and timekeeping expertise.
Auguste Agassiz & Ernest Francillon - Longines founders
Auguste Agassiz (1809-1877) teamed up with fellow watchmakers in 1832 to create a watchmaking workshop in the Swiss village of Saint-Imier. At that time, components were produced in the homes of watchmakers, before being assembled at the workshop.
In 1852, his nephew, Ernest Francillon took over the operations of the workshop. A man of vision, he decided to build-up a factory. Not only did he bring all the talented artisans together under one roof, he also established a mechanized production system to ensure the highest quality and precision.
Built on a field known locally as "Es Longines", Francillon decided to keep this name for the company and created the Longines brand.
The Longines factory was inaugurated in 1867 and has continued its operations at the same place ever since.
1867
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1966
Today
Francillon proved to be a pioneer in protecting his products against counterfeits. He ensured that all timepieces leaving the factory were engraved with a serial number, the trade name Longines and its winged hourglass symbol.
As soon as a Swiss law protecting trademarks was introduced in 1880, Francillon registered his. In 1889, he took the opportunity to present the Longines name and winged hourglass at the newly formed Federal Office of Intellectual Property (OFPI). When the new United International Bureaux, forerunner of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was established, he extended his trademark to cover international markets.
Today Longines remains the oldest watch brand trademarked in the International Registry at WIPO.
The 20H calibre was the first mechanism manufactured by Longines that was used for precision timing. Fitted in a case engraved with a jockey and his mount, stopwatches powered by this calibre were seen on American horse racing tracks in the 1880s.
This timepiece equipped with double minute and hour hands, was developed for Constantinople (today Istanbul), to convert Turkish time to Western time. A patent was filed in 1911.
Intended for Russian pilots, this very early wrist-chronograph was powered by the Longines calibre 19.73N.
With its 29mm in diameter, the calibre 13.33Z represented the blueprint for modern chronographs. Amelia Earhart, a pioneering American pilot, wore a similar model during her two Atlantic crossings in 1928 and 1932.
This timepiece was used by radio operators on ships to convert local time to universal world time (UTC+0 or Zulu Time) with the help of an additional hour hand. The two red wedges are indicating periods of radio silence reserved for emergency calls.
The flyback mechanism enabled to reset and start a new timing sequence with a single press of the push-button. It was a key function for aviators to precisely measure flight stages and to start new ones while flying at high speed. The pictured model dates from 1928.
Named The Longines Weems Second Setting Watch, it was designed in collaboration with Philip Van Horn Weems (1889-1979), of the US Navy. This timepiece was sought after by many navigators and pilots. Thanks to the inner rotating dial, it enabled its wearer to synchronize the watch precisely to a radio time signal. This function ensured accurate timing, which is key in navigation.
This timepiece was inspired by the achievement of pilot Charles A. Lindbergh who crossed the Atlantic in a non-stop flight in 1927. Named the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, it was used by pilots in conjunction with a sextant and a nautical almanac and enabled them to calculate their geographical position with the help of the stars.
Named calibre 13ZN, it is one of the most technologically advanced chronograph movements of that time. Longines filed a patent for the flyback mechanism in 1935, which was granted in 1936.
This iconic chronograph featured unique mushroom-shaped pushers to keep the watch waterproof. A patent was filed in 1938.
Named calibre 13ZN12, this chronograph indicated the elapsed 60 minutes by the large red hand in the center. It was easier to read than the generally used sub-dial. Instead, the auxiliary dial on the right served as a 12 hours counter.
The Conquest Collection marked the first step in a new product development strategy: the introduction of product families. Registered in Switzerland on April 3rd 1954, Conquest was the first product family established.
The elegant Flagship collection had a distinctive medallion featuring a caravel engraved on the case back.
Today called Legend Diver, this timepiece was waterproof to 120m and featured a bidirectional rotatable inner disc, operated by the second crown. Having it inside enabled to protect it from underwater obstacles.
Oscillating at 36,000 beats an hour, the calibre 360 won 1st and 2nd place in the competition of the most accurate watch at the Observatory of Neuchâtel in 1961.
Named Ultra-Chron, it was more accurate than a chronometer. This high-frequency watch had a guaranteed accuracy of "one minute a month", which corresponds to two seconds a day. Oscillating at 36,000 beats an hour, it was inspired by the calibre 360 and offered a mechanical alternative to the emerging electronic movements used.
Named Ultra-Quartz, it was more accurate than any other production wristwatch. Longines has developed its own quartz movement for this timepiece.
Named Feuille d'Or ("Gold Leaf"), this quartz watch was only 1.98mm thick. It was a wonder of technological achievement.
Named La Grande Classique de Longines, it is a symbol of Longines' classic elegance and timeless sophistication.
Named Longines DolceVita, it was inspired by a rectangular model from the 1920s. This line was introduced as an ode to the Italian "dolce vita".
Entirely composed of models with mechanical movements, the Longines Master Collection was created.
Named the Longines Spirit collection, this line is designed in the same manner as the timepieces of pioneering aviators who relied on Longines to realize their feats.
This device was first introduced at the Federal Gymnastics Festival in Basel. When the athlete broke the wire, it respectively triggered the start or stop of the timer.
It was used to measure the 1/10th of a second.
It was used to measure the 1/100th of a second.
Following the essays of 1937, Longines used this device for a ski race in Montana. It replaced the broken-wire system as the interception of the light beam activated or stopped the pushers of the chronograph.
Named the Chronocaméra, this high-precision device instantly reacted to a signal and gave photographed times in 4 seconds. It recorded the order, numbers of starts, finishes as well as the hour, minute, second and the hundredth of a second.
Named the Longines Chronocinégines, it featured a 16mm camera coupled to a quartz-clock. This innovative device provided judges with a series of images of athletes at the finish line taken every hundredth of a second. It was very useful as it provided an evidence of who had crossed the finish line first.
Named Contifort, this system printed the position in time and space of athletes at the finish line. It gave indications corresponding to the hundredth of a second.
Named Chronotypogines, this high-precision device recorded time on a paper strip. It indicated the hours, minutes, seconds, tenths and hundredths of a second. It also gave the possibility to appreciate the thousandth of a second. Certified by the Neuchâtel Observatory, it was used for the timing of races and world speed records.
Named Quantum Timer, it is the latest reference in sports timekeeping.
From its foundation to the present day, Longines has always had a close relationship with the world of horses. In fact, Longines’ first chronograph movement of 1878 has been fitted in a case engraved with a jockey and his mount. These stopwatches have been seen on American racetracks in the 1880s and proved to be extremely popular among jockeys and horse lovers alike.
In 1912, a new step was taken when Longines concluded its first official partnership with a show jumping event in Lisbon, Portugal. The following century, countless equestrian competitions benefited from the quality and reliability of Longines' timekeeping devices.
Since 2013, Longines is the Official Timekeeper and the Official Watch for the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).
Skiing down snowy mountains ranks among the most popular sports in Longines’ home country of Switzerland. In 1924, the brand timed its first ski race in Switzerland. Some years later, the stopwatches from Saint-Imier were timing the World Ski Championships in Chamonix (France).
Over the years Longines developed key innovative equipments to meet the specific needs of Alpine Skiing such as: high-beat skiing timers with split-second hand (1939), electromechanical gates (1950) and devices enabling the direct display of sports results on television screens worldwide (1971).
Since 2006, Longines is the Official Main Partner and Official Timekeeper of the International Skiing Federation (FIS). The brand continues to time all Alpine Ski World Cup and World Championships events.
In 1949 Longines introduced its Chronocaméra – a fully automatic instrument giving photographed times and capable of measuring up to the hundredth of a second. It was so convincing that the International Automobile Federation certified it in 1950.
In the same year, the inaugural season of Formula 1, Longines timed the famous Grand Prix de Monaco. The brand was already timing car races in the 1930s, but these were called "Grand Prix" as Formula 1 did not exist yet.
In the early 1980s, Longines developed new timekeeping devices to individually track each competitor, a solution that was soon adopted by the International Automobile Federation.
This led to Longines’ role as Official Timekeeper for all Formula 1 races from 1982 to 1992.
In January 1949, cars from all over Europe participated in the first edition of the Rallye Monte-Carlo after World War II. Timekeeping was entrusted to Longines, a status it held for more than 30 years.
In 1955, the brand from Saint-Imier launched a special punch printing device, called Printogines. Equipped with a clock with a 8-day power reserve, it allowed contestants to punch their own control card at each checkpoint over the more than 5,000km distance. The reliable and robust device was determining official winning time on the base of the pilot's recorded passages through all checkpoints. It was so useful that it was appointed to time all the famous rallies of that time.
From the Coupe des Alpes, the RAC Rally of Great Britain, the TAP Rallye in Portugal, the Thousand Lakes in Finland, the Rallye Acropolis in Greece, to the Rallye de Côte d'Ivoire in Africa, Longines continued to time countless rallies until 1985.
In 1951, Longines has been asked to time the world’s leading cycling event: the Tour de France.
In the same year, the inaugural season of Formula 1, Longines timed the famous Grand Prix de Monaco. The brand was already timing car races in the 1930s, but these were called "Grand Prix" as Formula 1 did not exist yet.
In the early 1980s, Longines developed new timekeeping devices to individually track each competitor, a solution that was soon adopted by the International Automobile Federation.
This led to Longines’ role as Official Timekeeper for all Formula 1 races from 1982 to 1992.
For over 35 years, Longines has been the Official Timekeeper of this legendary cycling race.
Since 1962, Longines is also the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the Commonwealth Games. At each edition, Longines' timekeepers, scorers, sporting specialists and data handlers make their expertise and devices available to the sporting federations and the talented athletes from throughout the Commonwealth. For the timekeeping of the 2022 edition, a dedicated team of over 200 specialists was involved.
This partnership highlights the ingenuity and accuracy of Longines' timekeeping instruments.
