Longines

 By Bruce Shawkey

Found this ad in the Nov./Dec. 1958 issue of Swiss Horological Journal for a Longines  "Flagship" model. The Flagship was Longines' top-of-the-line manual-wind movement with seconds bit at 6:00 (the model also came with sweep seconds):

The Flagship model remains popular with collectors today who enjoy a no-frills watch that is extremely accurate. The Flagship is extremely accurate (chronometer rated) but does state "chronometer" on the dial or movement because doing so would increase tariffs imposed by U.S. customs.

Longines, was founded by Auguste Agassiz in Saint-Imier, Switzerland in 1832. They are probably most famous for their affiliation with aviation with early pioneers of the sky, notably Charles Lindbergh, who wore a Longines watch on his famous flight across the Atlantic in 1927.O

Longines is also famous for chronographs which timed (and still time) many prestigious sporting events, including those in the Olympics.

In the 1950s, Longines focused on precision watches. Collectors argue whether the Flagship is better than the Admiral, or the Conquest, but they are all superior timekeepers.

Today, Longines is part of Swatch Group, and they continue to rely on their time-tested models, including the Flagship. 

Here are previous articles I've written on Longines:

By Bruce Shawkey

Longines was founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832. Several years later, Agassiz brought in his bright, enterprising nephew, trained economist Ernest Francillon, into the business. Its winged hourglass logo, registered in 1889, is the oldest unchanged active trademark.   Francillon was the mastermind behind several impressive innovations that would distinguish the company from its competitors. One early stroke of genius from Francillon was to solely produce crown-wound pocket watches rather than the prevalent key-wound alternative. Later, when Agassiz started suffering from ill health, he passed leadership to Francillon.

Under Francillon, the company began moving ed towards more modern production methods. Francillon solidified his firm's progression to mass production in 1867 by establishing his first factory. Its location, an area in southern St. Imier known locally as Les Longines ("long meadows"), gave rise to the Longines name.  The U.S. watchmaking industry was making strides in industrialized watch manufacturing, so Francillon sent Jacques David to the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia to gather new ideas and strategies from American watchmakers. Upon returning, David wrote a 108-page report detailing what he learned during his trip; the report is considered one of the most significant documents in watchmaking history, detailing the inner workings of American watch factories, including the entire production process, from raw materials to finished watches, and the highly-effective internal structure and quality control measures implemented in American factories. In his analysis, David concluded the Swiss watchmaking industry needed to change significantly to keep pace with its American competitors.

In 1878, Longines developed its first chronograph movement, a "mono-pusher" chronograph, in which all three chronograph functions (start, stop, and reset) were controlled via the crown. This was when Longines began building its reputation in equestrian sports, such as horse racing and jumping. By 1880, Longines was known for the quality and precision of its timepieces. To Francillon's dismay, the brand became a target for counterfeiters. Longines counterfeits were not only directly stealing business and revenue from Francillon, but also potentially damaging his company's reputation. Francillon trademarked the Longines name in 1880 and its winged hourglass logo in 1889. By 1886, Longines had established itself as a primary supplier of timing equipment for most New York sporting officials.

In 1927, P.V.H. Weems collaborated with Longines to produce the first wrist watch, the Weems Navigation watch. The watch was 47 mm in diameter. In 1931, Longines collaborated with Charles Lindbergh to introduce the Hour Angle aviation watch. In 1937, P.V.H. Weems again collaborated with Longines to produce a second, smaller (33mm) Weems avigation watch. 

1971 to the present

In 1983, Longines' owner ASUAG merged with SSIH (which owned Omega SA) to form the Société Suisse de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie (SMH). SMH became The Swatch Group in 1988. 

Notable Longines brand ambassadors and timepieces owners

Humphrey Bogart, Harry Connick Jr., Audrey Hepburn, Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Kate Winslet, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Albert Einstein owned two timepieces from Longines, one 1943 silver pocket watch and one 1929 gold wristwatch. His Longines' wristwatch, which was presented to him by Rabbi Edgar Magnin in 1931, was auctioned by Antiquorum for $596,000 in New York in October 2008, making it the most expensive Longines' timepiece ever sold at auction. His Longines pocket watch is now kept in the Bern Historical Museum in Switzerland.

Other owners:  United States Navy Captain Philip Van Horn Weems, United States Army Air Corps Reserve Charles Lindbergh, United States Navy Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and Wiley Post.

Pictures and advertisement of Longines watches over the decades:

Here's a neat Longines watch from my collection: Round, stainless steel, triple stack bezel. 17-jewel, manual wind. Probably 1950s.

Longines

Smaller size around 30mm diameter. Case is signed Longines, Dial looks refinished, and I bet hands have been replaced. But overall, I like the simplicity of it. And with a stainless case, I don't have to worry about brassing on the case or wear through on the lugs ... flea bites as one of my associates calls them. I've nothing against the company's modern stuff; in fact I own a current-day chronograph (the so-called "Big Eye") with the modified Valjoux 7750).

Longines "Big Eye"

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