Longines

The origins of Longines

In 1832, Auguste Agassiz joined a watchmaking company in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, which he quickly transformed into the company Agassiz&Compagnie. Under his impetus, the company expanded abroad, particularly across the Atlantic. The success is there, carried by a brand that is already established and gives in performance. It was Auguste Agassiz's nephew, Ernest Francillon, who took over the business, with the same vision as his uncle: the improvement of working techniques, and of the profitability and efficiency of the combination of human and machine work. During the 1870s, material and technical investments allowed the company to develop continuously. In 1886, Francillon buys a building located on the chief town of Longines, the name is given.

A search for performance

Longines research and innovation are regularly awarded and even at International or Universal Exhibitions in the last third of the XIX th century, and in particular at the one in Barcelona where the brand received 10 Grand Prix. It was in 1889 that Francillon registered the Longines brand, which included not only the name but also its famous winged hourglass logo. Longines is thus the oldest registered watch brand. As early as 1878, the brand unveiled its first sports timekeeping instrument and has continued to supply high-performance chronographs for sportsmen and aviators ever since.