The house
Auguste Agassiz began the business in 1832 in Saint-Imier in the Swiss Jura, and the company later gained its name from the Les Longines locality where it built a new factory in 1867. The winged hourglass logo was registered in 1889, and Longines is often cited as holding the oldest registered trademark still in use under its original name.
Milestones
- 1889: Registration of the winged hourglass trademark.
- 1931: The Lindbergh Hour Angle watch, designed with aviator Charles Lindbergh to help with celestial navigation.
- Twentieth century: A long history as official timekeeper at sporting events, including Olympic Games.
Why collectors care
Longines produced its own high-quality movements for decades, and vintage examples offer excellent mechanical quality at accessible prices. Chronographs, aviation watches and dress watches from the 1930s to the 1960s are particularly collected, and many are available for far less than comparable watches from more famous names.
Vintage models to explore
- Mid-century manual-wind dress watches in gold and steel
- 1940s and 50s chronographs
- Conquest and Ultra-Chron automatic models from the 1950s to 70s
Verify movement, dial and case originality before purchase. This profile is a historical overview and does not replace a specialist's inspection.