Longines: history, models and value

Founded

1832

Founder(s)

Auguste Agassiz

Headquarters

Saint-Imier

Owner / group

Swatch Group

Longines: origins and founding

Longines traces its history to 1832, when Auguste Agassiz joined a watch trading business in Saint-Imier, in the Bernese Jura. The firm was first called Raiguel Jeune & Cie, with Henri Raiguel and Florian Morel as partners. At first it did not make watches in one factory. It used the établissage system: watchmakers worked from home and supplied parts and finished movements to the office, which sold the watches.

Founders and family

Agassiz's partners had left the business by 1846. His nephew Ernest Francillon, who had trained in economics, took over around 1850. Francillon is the person who turned the company into a modern manufacture. In 1867 he built a factory on a piece of land called Les Longines, and the company took its name from that place.

Longines history and milestones

• 1867: the first in-house movement, calibre 20A, wins an award at the Paris World's Fair.
• 1878: calibre 20H, a chronograph movement used for timing horse races.
• 1880 and 1889: the Longines name and then the winged hourglass logo are registered as trademarks.
• 1919: official supplier to the International Aeronautical Federation.
• 1927: the Weems navigation watch, with a rotating disc to synchronize with a time signal.
• 1931: the Hour Angle watch, developed with the aviator Charles Lindbergh.
• 1945: first self-winding movement, calibre 22A.
• 1954: launch of the Conquest sports watch.
• 1969: first Longines quartz movement.
• 1970s: the quartz crisis hits the company hard.
• 1983: Longines is part of the merger that forms SMH, renamed the Swatch Group in 1988.
• 2018: the brand celebrates its 50 millionth watch.

Famous Longines models

• Vintage pieces: pocket watches, early wristwatches, chronographs with in-house movements, and the Conquest from the 1950s and 1960s.
• Conquest: the sports line since 1954, today with automatic and quartz models, including the V.H.P. quartz.
• Master Collection: launched in 2005, classic automatics with moon phase, chronograph and calendar functions.
• HydroConquest: diving watches with 300 m water resistance.
• Spirit: pilot-style watches with chronometer-certified movements, including the Spirit Zulu Time GMT.
• Heritage and Legend Diver: reissues of historical models, such as the Legend Diver based on a 1960s diver and the Avigation BigEye chronograph.
• DolceVita: rectangular watches with Art Deco proportions, popular as women's watches.

Movements and technique

For most of its history, Longines made its own movements, and these in-house calibres are a big part of the appeal of vintage pieces. Since joining today's Swatch Group, Longines has used movements from the group's movement maker ETA, some of them exclusive to Longines. Examples are the L688 column-wheel chronograph (2009) and the L788 single-pusher chronograph (2012). Many current models use silicon balance springs for better resistance to magnetism.

Longines today

Longines is still based in Saint-Imier and is part of the Swatch Group. It is positioned as an accessible luxury brand, with most current models in the mid-price range. It is a large brand, producing around 1.5 million watches a year, and it is well known for timing sports such as equestrian events, skiing and tennis.

Longines prices on the pre-owned market

Most modern Longines watches sell well below their retail price on the pre-owned market, because so many are available. Quartz models and simple dress watches usually bring modest amounts. More interest goes to vintage chronographs with in-house movements, early Conquest models, military and pilot watches, and anything in solid gold with an original dial. For vintage pieces, an untouched original dial, the correct crown and hands, and a matching case and movement are what drive value. Refinished dials lower value noticeably.

How to recognise a genuine Longines

Every Longines has a serial number, and the company has recorded them since 1867. On most watches the serial number is engraved on the movement, along with the winged hourglass logo, which also helps against fakes. On older pieces, check that dial, case and movement belong together: "franken" watches made from mixed parts are common. Longines offers an archive extract for watches over 10 years old and a separate paid certificate of authenticity, which it issues only after one of its watchmakers has examined the watch. Have the caseback opened by a professional, not at home. See also our guide on how to spot a fake watch.

What is your Longines worth?

Many Longines owners are surprised in both directions: some old pieces are worth more than expected, many newer ones less. Upload a few photos for a free watch value estimate. If you need a signed document for an estate or insurance, order a written watch appraisal.

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