Replica Longines Quartz, Fake Longines Quartz Watch

Longines Conquest Chronograph Quartz (L3.660.4.56.6)

i liked this watch so much i bought another one as a gift for my brother. the blue face has a nice slight purple tint that is eye catching. feels durable and weight feels like it is a "quality" watch and not some fake/cheap replica. the body and band are polished steel so a bit more shiny than i prefer.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Lupi b, From U K Acton London

Longines Saint-Imier Chronograph (L4.752.5.52.7)

Great Quality. Such a cute necklace!

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Nor Afzan Amiruddin, From United States Astoria

Longines Evidenza 19.6 Pink Gold (L2.175.8.71.6)

I ordered two of these, one brown and one black.If you tap them they will run for a few seconds and then stop.Maybe made in China batteries are not so good. taking them to my jeweler to try new batteries.No matter how good a watch looks if it does not run it's trash.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by cory mckissick, From Norway Frei

Longines is now the Official Watch of the resort of St. Moritz, which is renowned worldwide as the epitome of elegance, a value dear to the Swiss watch brand. The spectacular ski resort hosts FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and World Cup stages all timed by Longines. It is also avenue for stylish equestrian events, such as the Longines CSI St. Moritz or the Night Turf St. Moritz and its Longines Show-Sprint Race. To celebrate this new partnership, the winged hourglass brand is launching an exclusive edition created especially for St. Moritz: the Conquest 1/100th St. Moritz. Touches of yellow and blue on the hands, the dial or the flange subtly hint at the iconic logo of St. Moritz, which is also engraved on the case back.

The Conquest 1/100th series responds to the needs of athletes, professionals and sports fans, besides many others, since it measures multiple intermediary times and has an intuitive analogue display that shows the time to one hundredth of a second using a separate hand. All of this is possible thanks to a latest generation movement.

The demands required for Longines to reach such an extreme level of precision have led to the development of a new quartz movement, the L440, developed exclusively for Longines by the manufacture ETA. This new model includes a microcontroller with a flash memory that allows the watch to be reset instantly and allows intermediary times to be recorded. With a diameter of 41 mm, this steel model has a silver face that displays hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o'clock, the date and other chronographic functions: a central seconds hand, a 30-minute stopwatch at 2 o'clock and a 12-hour stopwatch at 10 o'clock. The hand in yellow displays time to one hundredth of a second and is the watch's crowning glory at the centre. The model is also fitted with a steel bracelet and a butterfly clasp.

As FEI's Top Partner, Longines is the Official Partner, Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the CSIO Barcelona 2015 and timed the victory of Team Belgium, made up of Olivier Philippaerts on H&M Armb van de Kapel, Judy-Ann Melchior on As Cold As Ice Z, Jos Lansink on For Cento and Gregory Wathelet on Conrad de Hus, at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup^TM Jumping final after several months of intense preparation and thrilling competitions across Europe. The Swiss watch brand is also associated with two other highlights of the event: the Longines Challenge Cup on Friday, won by Team Qatar, and the Longines Cup of the City of Barcelona on Sunday.

Besides, the Official Watch of the CSIO Barcelona 2015 is a lady model of the new Longines DolceVita collection, cased in steel, decorated with diamonds and featuring a silver-coloured "flinque" dial adorned with painted Roman numerals. This timepiece represents contemporary elegance of the Longines watchmaking brand worldwide, which makes it also the perfect illustration of the elegance of this world class competition.

The partnership between Longines and the FEI reinforces the traditional and long-lasting commitment of the Swiss watchmaker in equestrian sports. As part of this partnership, Longines is lending its name to the FEI world ranking for riders participating in the show jumping trials: the Longines Rankings. The brand is the Official Partner of the three indoors series (Western European, Chinese and North American League) and the final of the Longines FEI World Cup^TM Jumping, as well as the outdoors series and the final of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup^TM Jumping.

For the sixth successive year, Longines is inviting 16 promising young tennis players under the age of 13 - coming from 16 different countries - to showcase their talent in a competition worthy of the very greatest professional players: the Longines Future Tennis Aces tournament.
Held from 28th to 30th May, the 2015 tournament, enhanced by former French tennis player Arnaud Clement as its patron, will pit 16 youngsters against one another on a clay court installed in front of the Eiffel Tower. The winner will be awarded with a Longines watch, the tournament cup and an annual scholarship until his 16th birthday.
In addition, the final of the "Rendez-vous a Roland Garros" circuit, with which Longines has partnered for the first time this year, will be held on the very same court. The winners will receive a Wild Card, allowing them to compete against the best international players in the French Open's Junior tournament.

The visit to Paris for these future champions will start on 26th and 27th May with the Longines Academy, a training camp that will give them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with playing on clay and to receive precious technical tips from two specialists in the sport. Throughout the week, the players will receive encouragement from Arnaud Clement, who the finalists will get the chance to play against in the exhibition match to be held after the tournament's final on Saturday 30th.

The Longines Future Tennis Aces tournament is held during the first week of the French Open at Roland-Garros, of which Longines has been the Official Partner and Timekeeper since 2007. To mark this top-level sporting event, Longines is highlighting a new steel chronograph model, the Conquest Classic Moonphase, housing a self-winding mechanical movement.

This year, Longines has become the partner of the "Rendez-vous a Roland-Garros" tournaments being held in China and Brazil. These competitions aim to identify the best players on clay from their countries with a view to allowing them to fulfil their dream of participating in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the international tennis calendar. The two winners of each tournament (one male and one female) will play against one another in the competition's finals to be held in Paris on May 24, on the same court as the Longines Future Tennis Aces event.

The Longines Kentucky Oaks, considered by some to be among the most popular horse races in America, was won by Lovely Maria with jockey Kerwin Clark. Elegant Longines watches were presented to owner Brereton Jones, trainer Larry Jones and jockey by Charles Villoz, Vice President of Longines and the American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, the latest addition to the Longines' family as its Ambassadors of Elegance.

For this 141st edition, the Official Watch was a lady model in steel from the Conquest Classic collection. Set with 30 diamonds and featuring a mother-of-pearl dial, this timepiece is water-resistant to 5 bar and its screw-down case back is fitted with a sapphire glass.

Once again pink was the official color of the Longines Kentucky Oaks. All attendees were encouraged to dress in pink or wear pink accessories in order to show their support for cancer survivors. The same rule applied for competitors in the Longines Kentucky Oaks Fashion Contest. Open to all ladies among the spectator, the contest was held on a pink carpet. The first prize was an elegant Longines watch presented to the most elegant chosen out by celebrity judge and Mikaela Shiffrin.

Today, Longines draws on its rich watchmaking history and reissues a a divers watch dating back to 1967, a copy of which is kept in the Swiss watchmaker's museum in Saint-Imier.
The divers watches of the time borrowed the pilot watch system, in particular their notched rotating bezel with divisions in minutes. This device makes it possible to calculate the length of the dive. The tachymeter scale of the internal flange is used to calculate the speed of the diver: the chronograph must be triggered at the starting point and stopped once the distance of one kilometre is completed. The hand will indicate the average speed.

With a diameter of 42 mm, The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 case houses a self-winding L688.2 movement. This chronograph features a completely original design, reflecting the model that inspired it. It's silver-coloured asymmetrical counters stand out against the black opaline dial.

The bordeaux graduated bezel and silver-coloured tachymeter scale of this model add elegant touches of colour to the overall piece. In the spirit of divers watches, the hands and hour markers are coated in Super-LumiNova® while the back and crown of the piece are screwed to ensure water resistance of up to 30 bar. The watches are fitted with a steel bracelet, black leather or rubber strap. An engraving of a diver adorns the caseback as a reminder of the first divers watches produced by Longines.
 

Longines was proud to present the Conquest Classic Moonphase, dedicated to its passion for equestrian sports, during the 2015 Longines Hong Kong Masters. This edition of the event was held from February 13th to 15th at AsiaWorld-Expo. The Swiss watch brand has been the Title Partner and Official Timekeeper of this prestigious event since its first edition in 2013.
The Longines Hong Kong Masters is part of the Masters Grand Slam: a series of indoor equestrian events which attract the best horse riders in the world to take part in exceptional competitions held in Asia, America and Europe

On Friday, Julien Epaillard on Pigmalion du Rozel won the Longines Speed Challenge, while Scott Brash on Hello Annie secured the second place and Gerco Schröder on Glock's Prince de Vaux was third. Sunday was marked by the win of John Whitaker on Argento, followed by Henrik von Eckermann on Gotha FRH and Simon Delestre on Ryan des Hayettes, in front of Longines Ambassador of Elegance Aaron Kwok at the Longines Grand Prix. All winners were honoured by receiving elegant Longines watches from the hands of Mr. Walter von Känel, President of Longines.

Longines's CEO Walter von Känel has spent most of his professional career in an industry that captured his imagination while still a child, the industry that was the lifeblood of the Saint-Imier region where he lived. After leaving business college Walter von Känel became a technical administrator in the Swiss customs service and subsequently held a number of positions in accounting, logistics and sales with dial manufacturer Jean Singer.
He joined Longines in 1969 at the age of 28 as sales manager and was quickly seconded to the United States to work with the brand's New York agent. Walter von Känel continued to work his way up, holding positions as head of sales, then head of sales and marketing, before being appointed general manager in 1988. Since 1991 he has been a member of Swatch Group's expanded management board.
Walter von Känel is also very active in the politics of his region, and is passionate about local history.

Longines was for the first time the Official Partner, Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the Japan Cup, attended by Longines Ambassador of Elegance Chi Ling Lin. Inaugurated in 1981, the Japan Cup in association with Longines is a 2400 meter international Group 1 turf race for horses aged three-years-old and up.

To honour Christophe Soumillon's great performance, the winning owner, breeder, trainer, jockey and stable staff members were presented with elegant Longines watches by Mr. Walter von Känel, President of Longines, and Chi Ling Lin, Longines Ambassador of Elegance.

To celebrate both the sporting aspects of this exceptional day and the delicate Japanese-style elegance, Longines organized a Longines Elegance Prize that paid tribute to the kimono. Mrs. Miki Uehara was thus declared most elegant lady and received a magnificent Longines watch from the hands of Mr. Juan-Carlos Capelli, Vice President of Longines and Head of International Marketing.

The founding of the Swiss Confederation on 1 August 1291 is celebrated each year with a typically Swiss mixture of solemnity and festivities. One element that was lacking this year, however, was the summer sun.

Switzerland has had a shockingly bad summer, with some localities even experiencing horrendous floods. It's the kind of weather that hampers the use of a watch like the Longines Hour Angle, which we wrist-tested over the past few weeks, because you need to see the sun at least briefly in order to establish the correct solar time.

In fact, the best timepieces for the recent conditions were probably the high-performance diver's models that we featured in our second instalment of diver's watches last week.

In our second article on the categories in this year's Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix we looked at the sports watches, which cover all bases - from football to Formula 1 via… military aviation. With ten more categories to analyse, I'm sure this won't be the last of the surprises.

Some of our colleagues will be returning from sunnier climes this week and we hope that they will be bringing some of the nice weather back with them. We will at least be injecting a little sunshine into our Summer Watches series this week as we take a look at watches with summer landscapes.

As official timekeeper of the FIS Ski World Cup, Longines honored in Lenzerheide for the first time Mikaela Shiffrin and Alexis Pinturault with the "Longines Rising Ski Stars" award. The American and the French skiers are the most successful young female and male athletes taking part in the current season of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. Both of them received a prize consisting of a trophy, a watch and a check for 20'000 CHF. This new competition reflects Longines' continued support for young athletes.
As official timekeeper of the FIS Ski World Cup, Longines presented for the first time the "Longines Rising Ski Stars" award which has been given to Mikaela Shiffrin and Alexis Pinturault. The American and the French skiers have been the best young female (under 21) and male (under 23) athletes taking part in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup this season. They have received a trophy, a watch and a check for 20'000 CHF from the hands of Charles Villoz, VP Sales of Longines.

This new competition reflects Longines' continued support for young athletes and joins established events including the "Longines Future Tennis Aces" tournament at Roland Garros for young tennis talents under the age of 13, and the race "Longines Future Racing Stars" during Prix de Diane Longines highlighting young and promising jockeys.
Mikaela Shiffrin "One of my goals from the very start of my ski racing career was to be the youngest to win World Cups and make a mark as a young athlete. It's really cool that Longines has this award dedicated to young athletes. It's cool to push young athletes to do their very best and this helps do that because we're not always going to be competing for an overall globe or titles - it's great to know that young athletes have something special of their own to shoot for."
Alexis Pinturault: "This prize is a great idea for the young skiers! The highlight of my season definitely is my first victory in Val d'Isere. It was a great moment, my first podium after my surgery and my first success in slalom."
Longines' long-term association with competitive ski started in Chamonix in 1933. For many decades, Longines has introduced important innovations to match the technological advancements of alpine skiing competitions and to address the demands of timekeeping and the audience. In 1993, for example, Longines developed a new TV technology that displays the intermediate time of the athlete versus the fastest competitor of the race.

As the Official Timekeeper of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Longines continues a b partnership with the Victorian Racing Cup approaching its twelfth year. The Swiss watch brand is the Title Partner of the Longines Mackinnon Stakes, won this year by British trainer Andrew Balding and his star gallop Side Glance and jockey, Jamie Spencer. Owner Sheik Fahad Al Thani is one of the luckiest visiting owners to ever come to Melbourne as for the third consecutive year, saw one of his horses win a major prize at the Spring Carnival. In 2011, Sheikh Fahad's Dunaden won the Melbourne Cup, Australia's race that stops the nation, Longines was thrilled to see the same colours win the Longines Mackinnon Stakes on Saturday.
A key highlight in the Longines' Carnival Program is the partnership of the international Group 1 Race on AAMI Victorian Derby Day, the Longines Mackinnon Stakes. On Saturday, Jamie Spencer on Side Glance won the Longines Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington. The Longines timepiece trophies were presented by Longines General Manager Australia, Amelia Michael.
Saturday, a crowd of 100,000 explodes out of the start gate as the first race meet on the 2013 Melbourne Cup Calendar. Derby Day, a day of tradition presents the perfect scene for race-goers with four elite Group One races run at Flemington and mirrors an equal celebration of high fashion race-wear. An undisputed institution of the Melbourne Cup Carnival is the 'Myer Fashions on the Field' held at Flemington and is pronounced as Australia's largest outdoor fashion event. Amelia Michael presented the winner of the Longines Award for Elegance, Louise McDonald, with a sparkling timepiece of the Longines DolceVita Collection. Amelia Michael, Longines General Manager Australia also awarded the Men's Racewear winner, and runner-up an elegant Longines timepiece.

As a proud partner of the most prestigious flat races in the world, Longines was delighted to launch Conquest Classic - a collection of timepieces to be worn amidst the excitement of the parade rings at Chantilly, Hong Kong, Royal Ascot and Flemington. The official Watch of the 2013 Carnival was a chronograph from the new Conquest Classic Collection in steel, fitted with a self-winding calibre.

After their victory in the Prix de Diane Longines in June 2013, Thierry Jarnet and Treve won the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday 6 October 2013. Longines was partner and official timekeeper of the event for the third consecutive year. The Swiss watch brand was the title partner of another international Group 1 race on the same day, the Prix de l'Opera Longines, won by Christophe Soumillon on Dalkala.
In the frame of its partnership with France Galop, Longines is the official timekeeper of the racecourses of Chantilly, Deauville and Longchamp, as well as the title partner of the Prix de Diane Longines. The Swiss watch brand is also partner of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club.
The Official watch of this year's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was Longines DolceVita. This collection has been an enormous success, thanks to its contemporary elegance. These models are a horological interpretation of the easy-going Italian way of life - la dolce vita. The perfectly harmonious proportions of the rectangular timepieces in this collection are its unique characteristic.

An exceptional jury, chaired by Simon Baker and made up of Nathalie Belinguier, President of the International Federation of Gentlemen and Ladies Riders, Francesca Cumani, equestrian sports anchor on CNN, Louis Romanet, President of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and Ingmar De Vos, General Secretary of the International Equestrian Federation, awarded the Longines Ladies Awards 2013 to Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Athina Onassis de Miranda and Sophie Thalmann. With this prizes, Longines wishes to highlight the elegance of careers dedicated to the equine cause.
 

Princess Zahra Aga Khan received an award for her commitment to horsebreeding.
Athina Onassis de Miranda received an award for her contribution to the development of equestrian sports in Latin America, in particular through the Athina Onassis Horse Show.
Sophie Thalmann received an award for promoting the equestrian world through arts and media.
 

The ceremony, which took place in the beautiful gardens of Chantilly castle, was followed by a gala dinner inside the gallery of painting in the Château de Chantilly.
As the official partner of some of the most prestigious flat races in the world, the Swiss watchmaker has created a new collection, Conquest Classic, suitable for wearing in all the excitement of the winner's enclosure at prestigious racecourses. Set with 30 diamonds, the official watch of the Prix de Diane Longines is a marriage of steel and rose gold and features a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond indices.

During a press event at the Pavillon Gabriel in Paris, Longines and France Galop presented the 2013 edition of the Prix de Diane Longines, which promises to be outstanding. The programme includes races, a picnic on the grass, music and above all elegance, the brand's core value. It will be held on June 16th at Chantilly racecourse.
French singer Nolwenn Leroy will give an open-air concert. Hollywood star and Longines ambassador Simon Baker will bring a touch of elegance to the lawns of the Chantilly racecourse.
 

Nine races will be run in the afternoon, with the spotlight on the Prix de Diane Longines, the greatest race for fillies in the world. Longines will also be delighted to present, for the second year, the Longines Future Racing Stars race. This prize, which underlines Longines' commitment to supporting young people through sport, will be run by young jockeys from nine different countries.
Longines also announced the creation of a new prize, meant to reward women who have had a positive influence in the equestrian world: the Longines Ladies Awards. During a ceremony to be held on June 15 at the Château de Chantilly, a jury, chaired by Simon Baker will present three prizes in three distinct categories. The first is for promoting the equestrian world through arts and media; the second is related to equestrian breeding and care and third prize will reward the development of sport within the equestrian world.

Throughout its history, Longines has always had a passionate interest in equestrian sport - a perfect example of elegance and high performance and values that have always been close to the brand's heart. Longines created a special new model in its Conquest Classic collection. Set with 30 diamonds, the official Prix de Diane Longines watch is a marriage of steel and rose gold and features a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond indices. Dazzling and elegant, this timepiece is the perfect accessory for a leisurely day spent at the Chantilly races.

Longines proudly congratulates Longines Ambassador of Elegance and award-winning actor Simon Baker on receiving the 2,490th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, presented by The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The Australian actor is well-known for the lead role in the television series The Mentalist as well as his roles in movies such as Margin Call. 

Simon Baker personifies the core values of Longines and perfectly exemplifies the brand's slogan "Elegance is an attitude". Last June, Simon joined the family of international Longines Ambassadors of Elegance that includes British actress Kate Winslet, tennis legends Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Asian stars Chi Ling Lin and Aaron Kwok.
Walter von Känel, President of Longines, said, "Simon Baker is an important member of the Longines family and we couldn't be more pleased that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recognized in him the same qualities that we admire."
At this occasion, Simon Baker was wearing a HydroConquest watch. This diving watch is fitted with a mechanical movement L667. Its ocean blue dial is embellished with a "big12" and SuperLuminova luminescent indices. This chronograph model has a case in stainless steel with screwed back and crown, a unidirectional turning bezel in eloxed aluminium and lateral protection for the crown. It is water-resistant to 30 bar (300 m).

Simon Baker currently stars in the Longines advertising campaign. The final part of the advertising campaign will be revealed soon with a new series of exclusive photos of Simon Baker.

Solemia and jockey Olivier Peslier have been the heroes of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe watched by over 50,000 people at the Longchamp racecourse. At the finish line of a breathtaking race, Olivier Peslier and his 4 year old filly have beaten Christophe Soumillon and Orfevre. Another highlight of the day, the Prix de l'Opera Longines has been won by Ridasiyna and Christophe-Patrice Lemaire. This year the famous Swiss watchmaker was involved in the prestigious Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as official timekeeper for the second time as part of the partnership between the brand and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club and France Galop.

Longines' passion for horses began with the manufacture of a pocket chronograph depicting a jockey and his mount, engraved by hand on the back of the case. Since at least 1881, Longines has been committed to horseracing and its chronographs have been highly sought after by racegoers. Today the brand is official partner and timekeeper to numerous prestigious events around the world, embracing horseracing, show jumping and endurance riding. Along with the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe it is affiliated to other iconic races such as the Prix de Diane Longines, the Dubai World Cup, Royal Ascot, the H.H. The Emir's Trophy presented by Longines, the Longines Hong Kong International races, the Longines Singapore Gold Cup, the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Longines Handicap de las Americas, the Grand Prix Longines Lydia Tesio, the Longines Grosser Preis von Baden and the Kentucky Derby.

As part of its partnership with France Galop, the famous Swiss watchmaker is present at Chantilly, Deauville and Longchamp racecourses as the official timekeeper and the title partner of the Prix de Diane Longines. The brand is also the official partner and timekeeper for all the events organised by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club.

In the frame of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Longines introduced a chronograph from The Longines Saint-Imier Collection, a line that has been inspired by the origins of Longines' watchmaking tradition. The sleek lines and the distinctive lugs provide these new models with a subtle balance between classical and contemporary design. With a diameter of 41 mm, this chronograph is fitted with a column-wheel movement L688, developed and produced exclusively for Longines. Its case in steel displays a black dial and is fitted with a steel bracelet.

IW Magazine - August 13, 2012
The Longines LegacyAmong the museums, manufactures and historic landmarks that dot the villages of the Swiss Jura Mountains, the heart of the country's watchmaking district, the Longines Museum at Saint-Imier is a standout. Located in a wing of the brand's manufacture, one of the first to be established in the region, the museum traces the history of Longines from 1832, and in so doing, comprises one of the most comprehensive histories of Swiss watchmaking.
Longines celebrates that heritage this year, on its 180th anniversary, with the Saint Imier Collection of mechanical timepieces, a tribute to the town where it all started. Inspired by models produced during the brand's history, the collection includes a chronograph and a prestige model featuring four retrograde functions, containing the caliber L707 movement developed and made by ETA exclusively for Longines. It also has day/night and moonphase indications.
The cases are either steel, rose gold or two-tone, with a choice of four case sizes. Dials are black, silvered or mother-of-pearl with diamond indices. All are fitted with mechanical movements.
Cottage industry
Like most Swiss watch companies, Longines began life as a comptoir d'etablissage, the French term for what we would call a cottage industry. The owner of an etablissage produced watches by dividing the work according to components and contracting the production into small, specialized units. He would then assemble the final components and sell the finished watches to outside distributors and agents or at fairs. The first watches were carried out of the valley by donkey, then by stagecoach.
In the case of Longines, the founding assembleur/watchmaker was Auguste Agassiz, who assigned to local craftsmen the production of dials, hands and movement components.

Making a watch in 1830 involved fifty-four distinct steps, rising to something like 100 at the end of the century. These were executed by nearly as many types of craftsmen, including jobs as esoteric as scratch-brush scraper and case-spring maker.
Most of the craftsmen were farmers who worked on watches during the long winters.
These home workshops were called "counters" - "comptoir d'etablissage" translates literally to "counter manufacturing," a method of watch production that remained a local practice until the 1970s.
Agassiz's nephew, Ernest Francillon, succeeded him at Agassiz & Compagnie. When he took over in 1866, Francillon bought two adjacent parcels of land on the River Suze in Saint-Imier and built the region's first semi-mechanized watch workshop, or manufacture, making the decision to group all the steps in one place, with a staff that worked full-time, rather than only in the winter.
He started with thirty or forty workers, and by the end of the century, employed 853 people. By 1912, 1,200 people worked for Longines. The population of Saint-Imier was 8,000.
Sunlight
The manufacture was built in the typical style of the Jura to allow maximum sunlight in the days before electricity. The buildings were rectangular, rather than square, with floor-to-ceiling windows placed close together to bring light to the workbenches. The narrow width of the building, with windows on each side, prevented the rooms from being dark in the middle.
Francillon also changed the company name. Instead of following the convention of using a family name (Aggasiz was not his name, after all) he took the nickname of the land where the manufacture was built: Es Longines, which is latin and old French for "the flat middle."

The plot of land he had chosen was the flattest place in the village wedged between Chasseral Mountain and Mont-Soleil. It was also chosen because of its proximity to the River Suze. There was no electricity at the time, so the river was tapped to run the machines.
Francillon made two more decisions that would establish Longines as a world-class brand. He was the first watchmaker in the district to create a logo, a winged hourglass, and it is now the oldest brand logo on record registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization. Secondly, he instituted the policy of numbering every watch produced by the manufacture.
Ledgers
The brand's museum features a separate library containing the livres etablissage, a collection of 800 leather-bound ledgers that contain the number and details of every watch made by Longines since 1857. They list the caliber, model, a description and the name of the agent to whom each watch was sold.
"We use these books every day because we get so many requests for information," says Jennifer Bochud, the museum curator, who is in regular contact with the auction houses that sell watches.

"This adds a tremendous value to the watch," she says. "It also adds value for Longines, because we also find out more information about the watches—they travel all over the world, as if they have a life."
The books record these details from number one to number 15-million, stretching from 1857 to 1969. Since then, the data has been computerized. By the brand's 175th anniversary in 2007, it had produced 34 million watches. (Bochud wears number 37-million.)
Company milestones
Francion died in 1900, and the company passed to a succession of leaders. In 1969, Walter Von Kanel became president, and still holds that position at the age of 71. The museum outlines the progression of technological advances represented by the manufacture's production over the years and some of the brand's milestones.
Until about 1830, locally made timepieces were heavy pocket watches with a crown-wheel verge escapement. Soon the new Lepine design allowed watchmakers to make slimmer and cheaper watches that kept better time. By the late 1860s, they had turned to the Roskopf design as rugged and reliable as it was cheap.
By the early 1870s, Longines was building chronometer movements, while its first time-measurement devices date from 1878.
In 1920, the factory launched a movement with an eight-day power reserve, used in a series of pieces that included small clocks.
In 1923, French scientist Jean Lecarme led an expedition on Mont Blanc, he took ten Longines chronometers with him.
Longines was a member of the Aeronautical Association. In 1927, it recorded the famous flight of Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris. Afterwards, he wrote a letter to Longines, outlining the functions he'd like to have on his watch, so Longines made one for him. The company still produces a version of this watch.
A frequent entrant in World Expositions, Longines won ten Grand Prix medals at the 1929 Barcelona exhibition.
In 1945, Longines introduced its first self-winding movement, caliber 22A. It was a circular movement measuring 21.5mm, with subsidiary seconds.
In 1954 the company made its first transportable quartz clock. It was used for sports timekeeping, and was accompanied by a photo finish mechanism. Longines has long been active in equestrian sports, archery and skiing.
In the 1950s, Longines began to name collections. In 1954 it launched the Conquest collection, and in 1957, the Flagship.
The brand started producing quartz watches in 1969. At that time, the brand was making twenty percent quartz and eighty percent mechanical movements. Eight years later, the proportion was just the opposite.
The quartz layoffs

Since quartz movements require less work, Longines, like all Swiss brands, had to lay off many workers during this period. Between 1975 and 1985, watch industry employment in the Saint-Imier area went from 3,000 jobs to 900 jobs.
Today, the equation of Longines production has reversed again, with seventy percent devoted to mechanical movements. During the 1970s, LCD was introduced into the collection as the result of a collaboration between Texas Instruments and ETA, which was by then making Longines' movements.
Longines was in the forefront of many of the most important trends in watchmaking during this period. In 1978, it was producing watches with a very slim quartz caliber, and in the 1980s, introduced two-tone watches into its collections. In 1987 Longines produced its first reproduction of the Lindbergh watch.
In 1983 the Swatch Group acquired Longines. The Group's ETA division had been making the brand's movements for several years because the last manufacture movement (L990) made by Longines was in 1977. After that, the brand used movements made by ETA, which today occupies a section of the Longines manufacture that is dedicated to making movements exclusive to the brand. Thus, the Saint-Imier headquarters has returned to the role of the manufacture.

Elegance begins
By the end of the 1990s, Longines introduced the advertising slogan "Elegance is an Attitude," and entered partnerships with the brand's first ambassadors. In 2001, the company produced its 30-millionth watch. By 2007, the brand introduced the MasterCollection, made up entirely of mechanical watches, including the MasterCollection Retrograde, with an exclusive movement fitted with retrograde functions. The Longines Sport Collection was also introduced in 2007.
Today Longines focuses on a mix of sporty models and dress pieces. The 2012 releases focus on the brand's four pillars: Elegance, Watchmaking Tradition, Sport and Heritage.

Elegance: The elegant aspect of its lines is exemplified in the Longines PrimaLuna, the Longines DolceVita and the La Grande Classique de Longines collections.
Watchmaking Tradition: The Longines Master Collection is an example of the brand's technical and aesthetic expertise, while the brand's Evidenza was inspired by the Art Deco movement. And a prime focus this year is the Saint-Imier Collection, this series of exceptional pieces is intended as a tribute to the town central to Longines' founding and development.
Sport: Longines' involvement in sport dates back to 1878 with its first chronograph movement, the 20H. The Longines Sport Collection is a tribute to its history in the world of sport while Conquest and HydroConquest lines represent further explorations into aquatic sports.
Heritage: Among the exceptional pieces: the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, a re-issue of the timepiece developed for the American pilot Charles Lindbergh in 1931. The Longines Weems Second-Setting Watch, a tribute to the navigation system devised by Captain Philip van Horn Weems, and the Longines Twenty-Four Hours, a re-issue of a watch designed in the 1950s specially for Swissair pilots, are also among the stars among the Heritage models.

Longines is proud to be the official partner and timekeeper for the Roland Garros French Open. In an extension of this partnership with the world of tennis, Longines has also become the official timekeeper for the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championship and of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, that legendary pair of champions, are also Ambassadors of Elegance for the Swiss watch brand.
Now Longines is extending its commitment within the world of tennis by sponsoring the "Real Tennis HD" game on the iPad.
Meet up with the greatest players on the circuit in the best tennis game on iPad! Use the "accelerometer" controls to serve, as well as a joystick for a truly intuitive control method! Participate in Career mode and progress in the various tournaments on clay, grass or synthetic courts. Test your racquet skills against your friends in local multiplayer mode!
Click here to download the "Real Tennis HD" game from the Apple Store.

The world-famous Swiss watch manufacturer Longines confirms its commitment to the world of top-class tennis in the wake of its involvement in the prestigious Roland Garros International Championships in Paris (France). Longines is honoured to announce that it has been appointed official partner, time-keeper and watch for the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the most important international tennis tournament hosted by the world's largest country. Longines will be offering its tradition of elegance and high-quality performance to a major tennis meeting in Russia.
The Swiss watch manufacturer Longines is proud to be the new official partner, timekeeper and watch for the Kremlin Cup in Moscow - one of the ATP World Tour tournaments - for 2009, 2010 and 2011. The event, which will be held at the Moscow Olympic Stadium, was started in 1990 and has since become the main international professional tennis tournament in Russia. Longines is delighted to be able to offer its technical skills and experience in sports timing for a competition - and a discipline - that perfectly matches its slogan "Elegance is an attitude". As part of its commitment to the world of tennis, Longines will be using the occasion to present a model - the Longines Admiral - which evokes sports where aesthetics, precision and physical coordination are of the utmost.
For over 175 years, Longines has been the guardian of a vast horological know-how characterised by elegance and high-quality performance. Present in Russia since 1878, the brand has always striven to consolidate its links with the world's largest country. In fact it has appointed the Russian actor Oleg Menshikov and the actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite as two of its ambassadors of elegance. Through the quality of its technical achievements and its activities in the field of sports timing, the Swiss watch brand has shared a large part of its history with that of sport. And now with over 130 years of experience in timing various sports Longines is today involved in those disciplines that reflect the values that it has always held dear, right from the earliest days of the company.
For several years now Longines has enjoyed a privileged relationship with the world of tennis. During the 1990s the brand sponsored Gabriella Sabatini and Michael Chang. In 2007 it was appointed official timekeeper and partner of the Roland Garros International Tennis Championships in Paris (France). It subsequently appointed two new ambassadors of elegance, namely Andre Agassi and his wife Stefanie Graf - two of the world's most admired players thanks to their exceptional careers in tennis as well as their charity world on behalf of the disadvantaged. The couple share the same love of excellence, elegance and beauty that characterises Longines, and thus reflect perfectly the brand's values and slogan - Elegance is an attitude. Elegance within, elegance of the heart. By sponsoring the respective charity foundations of these two icons of tennis and by offering a bursary to young graduates of the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, Longines has yet again confirmed its commitment to humanitarian aims. Today the brand is also sponsoring budding tennis stars in various parts of the world - from the talented young Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska to the promising youngster from Taiwan Tsung-Hua Yang.
Based in St. Imier in Switzerland since 1832, the watchmaker Longines can look back on more than 175 years of non-stop craftsmanship, as well as a solid heritage as timekeeper for world championships in various sports and collaborator with different international sports federations. Known for the elegance of its timepieces, Longines is a member of the Swatch Group Ltd, the World's leading manufacturer of horological products. With the winged hourglass as its emblem, the brand has outlets in over 130 countries.

Source: www.swisstime.chThe first model features a second time zone on its ceramic bezel. The second, a chronograph, displays a tachometer. And for those who cannot choose between these two, Longines offers a 24-hour Chronograph "second time zone" version.Movement
Automatic ETA A07 171, L704 calibre, 16 ½"', 24 rubies, 28,800 vib/h, 46-hour power reserve
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, date and second time zone
Case
Stainless steel, 42 mm
Black or grey ceramic bezel with 24-hour scale
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Water-resistant to 100 m
Dial
Black or grey  
Large "12" in Arabic numerals and rhodium-plated applied hourmarkers
24-hour hand
Bracelet
Stainless steel with central links in black or grey ceramic with folding clasp
Other versions
Ceramic chronograph, ETA A07 231 movement, L705 calibre
24-hour chronograph with second time zone, ETA Valjoux 7754 movement, L686 calibre

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