Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a relative newcomer, Longines has long offered a perfect balance of horological heritage, stylish aesthetics across a diverse catalog, and impressive quality, allowing the brand to maintain a legacy as one of the world’s most respected watchmakers for nearly 200 years.
In this article, we give an overview of everything you need to know about the brand’s history, popular collections, and prices.
The Longines History
Founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz in Saint-Imier, Longines began as a bespoke watchmaker, eventually turning to mass production in the 1860s after acquiring a factory in its hometown. Following this effort to commercialize, Longines hired notable figures within the watchmaking world and began to innovate. With the American watchmaking industry blossoming, Auguste and his nephew Ernest Francillon, who had just joined the company, sent engineer Jaques David to the U.S. to understand why the American watchmaking industry was becoming so advanced. After returning to Switzerland with a detailed 108-page report, Jaques influenced Auguste to change Longines’ practices and adapt to the American standards of quality control, manufacturing techniques, and management styles to avoid being outcompeted.
Following the resultant change in Longines’ company structure and style, they developed their very first chronograph movement in 1878. A monopusher movement, the Cal. 20H was a technically impressive design with all three functions (stop, start, and reset) operated by a single pusher—a rarity even today. With this movement, Longines began to build a reputation for accuracy, becoming the official timekeeper for numerous events. Due to the popularity of their chronographs in the open market, counterfeiters began creating knock-off Longines timepieces. As a result, Ernest (who had taken charge in the mid-1860s) sought to protect Longines and registered it as a trademark in 1889.
With their reputation for market-leading quality and accuracy spurring the development of their ties to equestrian sports like show jumping and horse racing, Longines soon became the official timekeeper for several other sporting events. Throughout their history, they served as timekeeper for artistic and gymnastics events, the Olympics, Formula 1 races, land speed records, and, of course, the equestrian events already mentioned. With an incredible number of horological innovations in their storied past, Longines remains one of the most highly respected and best-selling watchmakers on the planet today.
Longines Major Movements
Thanks to their hard work at improving the brand’s output, Longines has a long history of impressive technical innovations in the arena of movement-making, particularly within the chronograph family. Following their first chronograph, the Cal. 20H in 1878, Longines began developing other chronograph movements in a bid to dominate the market through intense research, continuous development, and constant investment. This trifecta sparked a particularly productive period in the brand’s history, where they developed new chronograph movements at an astonishing pace.
From the Cal. 19.73 in 1890 to the thinner Cal. 19.73N in 1909 and the Cal. 19.73N in 1922—an incredibly impressive split-seconds chronograph—Longines’ heritage firmly lies within the chronograph family of complications. Most notably, the chronograph Cal. 13.ZN movement launched in 1936 is widely regarded as one of the most historically significant and technically impressive chronograph movements ever made, and the Cal. 30CH that replaced it in 1947 is held in equally high regard. The Cal. 30CH was discontinued in the 1970s, marking the end of the most illustrious and innovative period of their history, at least concerning their movements.
Longines Major Models
In addition to their iconic movements, the watches they powered have also become incredibly notable in their own right. From the humble Sei Tacche, a 1940s screw-down caseback dress watch that emphasized aesthetics as much as functionality, to the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, a 1920s pilot’s watch designed by Charles Lindbergh to allow pilots to calculate their position on the globe, Longines’ catalog of historical models is certainly impressive.
However, their modern models such as the HydroConquest and Spirit, as well as their heritage-inspired models like the Legend Diver and Ultra-Chron, offer something for every type of collector—whether that’s someone who wants to explore unadulterated modern watchmaking or carefully informed vintage-inspired watchmaking from a brand that has “been there and done that.”
Celebrity Endorsements
Thanks to their association with fine watchmaking and events that link them to such as the Olympics, equestrian sports, and events like F1, Longines has long been associated with elegance, sophistication, and the pinnacle of watchmaking. As a result, Longines has long been a popular choice among celebrities and public figures who embody those same qualities. For example, Kate Winslet, the Oscar-winning actress, has been a Longines ambassador since 2010, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Indian actress and former Miss World, has been a dedicated ambassador since 1999, symbolizing Longines’ global appeal and timeless elegance. Alongside these famed faces, Longines has relationships with a slew of athletes and other “Ambassadors of Excellence” who are typically models, actors, and musicians.
Value and Longevity
Although typically more accessible than many of its Swiss counterparts in the world of modern watchmaking, Longines watches are still held in high esteem with regard to their longevity, craftsmanship, and build quality. Beyond the world of modern Longines, vintage Longines models, particularly those with historical significance or unique complications, are highly sought after by collectors, often appreciating in value as they age. This demonstrates their longevity as horological instruments and exceptional value for the discerning collector committed to enjoying what vintage Longines has to offer over a long timeframe.
Longines vs. TAG Heuer: A Quick Comparison
Both highly respected Swiss watch brands, Longines and TAG Heuer are often pitted against one another due to the importance of the chronograph to both brands over their lifetimes. However, Longines and TAG Heuer serve different markets, with Longines remaining more traditional and classical in their designs, while TAG Heuer takes a more avant-garde and “sporty” approach to their timepieces. As a result, each brand has a clearly defined client base that seeks out a particular style of watch. While they might have similarities on the surface, both brands offer distinctly unique styles of watch, for the most part, with some exceptions, of course.
