Longines Watches

The history of Longines goes back to 1832 when Auguste Agassiz formed a partnership with a watch production workshop and dealership located in Saint-Imier. In the early days of the business the watches were assembled from home, this was known as the etablissage method. It wasn’t long before the company were selling their fine watches around the world, North America being a strong selling point. The nephew of Agassiz, Ernest Francillon, took control of managing the company on his uncle’s behalf.

The industrialisation of watch making truly began in 1876 when Longines were faced with the competition at the Universal Exhibition held in Philadelphia. Jacques David had made an evaluation of how far behind the Swiss watchmakers were compared with their American contemporaries. David responded to the completion by implementing a modern approach to watch making which brought Longines up to date with their methods.

Notable achievements over the years include Longines contribution to the field of aviation particularly in the 1920s. Longines had to struggle through a recession in the 1930s which was due to the collapse in share prices at the New York stock exchange.

Several technical improvements took place during the Second World War including automatic winding, the first of which was tested in 1945. Langines timepieces were tested by explorers in extreme conditions over the course of about 20 years between 1950 and 1970.

Longines set out to create the first quartz wristwatch with electronic calibre in 1969. In 1972 the company went a step further by creating a watch with a liquid crystal display.

Longines have been involved in the world of motorsports since the 1920s and provided time keeping equipment for the 1933 Grand Prix.

Longines entered the 21st century as a strong watch manufacturer and they are now part of the Swatch group.