Longines was founded in St Imier, Switzerland in 1832. 175 years of experience in the watchmaking business have earned this company veteran status, and it is now established in over 130 countries. Logines has been the official timekeeper at world championships for many generations and is also a member of the world’s top producer of watches: The Swatch Group S.A.

Gall Longines

Auguste Agassiz entered the watchmaking business by creating a partnership with a watchmaking counter in Saint-Imier. In the beginning, all of the company’s watches were produced by people working at home. The company developed trade links that allowed the company to sell its products worldwide, especially in America. Ernest Francillon, who was a nephew of Agassiz, took over the business in the 1850s and looked for ideas to improve the manufacturing methods in watchmaking.

Ernest Francillon got an idea to put together the different operations that were needed for the finalization of timepieces together in a single factory. In this factory, he would use mechanical production methods to put together and finish watches. To carry out his plan, Ernest Francillon bought two plots of land in an area called Les Longines. His plan worked, and by 1911 there were over a thousand people working for the Longines factory and its watches were widespread all across the world.

Longines’ winged hourglass logo and name are the oldest brand symbols that are still used today, remaining unchanged since 1867. Longines’ expertise in in-house helped the company develop a special relationship with the world of sport. The company built some devices exclusively for the timing of sporting events, such as the “Broken Wire”, the “Photogines”, and the “Contifort”. Longine is the official timekeeper for many popular international competitions such as the World Rhythmic Gymnastics, the World Artistic Gymnastics, French Championships at Roland Garros, the White Circus, and the finals of the World Cup.

To further show itself to the world, Longines has hired several celebrities to represent the company. The celebrities include Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, a famous tennis couple, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an Indian actress, the model Chi Ling Lin, Russian actor Oleg Menshikov, and German actor Peter Lohmeyer.

Longines’ timing equipment has been a big part of history and had been used to verify many world records. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh, an American pilot, made the first non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic, braving bad weather and technical difficulties. His vessel was equipped with Longines instruments. Today, Longines continues to flourish and has adapted itself to modern times without any sacrifices. The Longines signature is a timeless excellence produced from a rich heritage that it constantly updates with a blend of technology and classicism. Longines has always had worldwide ambitions and is well known around the world, with its presence felt everywhere from sports to aviation.