Watch Historian
Watches & Watch Brands
Longines Watches
In 1832, a man named August Agassiz relocated to Saint-Imier, and began working with a watch parts trader. The following year, the Comptoir Raiguel Jeune & Cie. was set up between three partners: Florian Morel, Henri Raiguel, and Auguste himself. Soon enough, August Agassiz become the sole owner of the company, and in 1852, his nephew joined him in the business. His nephew, Ernest Francillon took over thereafter, and bought land near Saint-Imier, near Les Longines. This would later become the first factory for Longines watches. The company adopted what would become its symbol, a winged hourglass. The beginning of the new century brought upon much change to the appearance of the Longines watches. They adopted new forms, such as rectangular and square shapes, rather than merely sticking to the old round silhouettes. In the 1920’s, Longines watches became much more geometrical in appearance, adopting sleek and trim cases advertised as pure “Elegance”. In 1932, Amelia Earhart established herself as the first woman to fly from Newfoundland to Ireland with a Longines timepiece on her wrist. In the 1960’s, four Diamond Academy Awards were awarded to Longines designs, as well as the Prix d’Honneur of the Swiss city of Lausanne, which was awarded in 1964. In 2004 alone, two collections were created, the Longines Olympic Collection, and the Longines LungoMare, both of which are exquisitely unique on their own. Among the Longines collection are the Longines DolceVita, the Longines evidenza, the La Grande Classique de Longines, the Flagship, the Longines LungoMare, the Lindbergh, the Longines Master Collection, and the Heritage. Longines watches provide elegance, precision, and class all in one, and tend to a variety of tastes.