Enjoy Watches

Brand history & owner guide

Longines

Longines states that it has been based at Saint-Imier, Switzerland since 1832 and is a member of the Swatch Group. 12

A guide to Longines origins, trademark continuity, timing heritage and model-research boundaries, not a complete archive extract or valuation.

At a glance

Origin
Saint-Imier; 1832 12
Factory milestone
Les Longines factory, 1867 13
Trademark
Winged hourglass, 1889 13
Current group
Swatch Group 12

Browse Longines watches →

Selected reference records

799 documented configurations from 53 model names. These records are a selection, not the full Longines catalogue.

Browse 799 recorded Longines configurations →

Saint-Imier before the factory

Longines' corporate material starts in Saint-Imier in 1832, when Auguste Agassiz joined a trading office that later took the Agassiz & Co. name. That early setup used the etablissage system: specialists worked outside a unified factory, and the trading office assembled and distributed finished watches.

This matters because the company did not begin as a modern vertically organized manufacture. A good Longines summary should separate the 1832 business origin from the 1867 factory step, when Ernest Francillon brought production together at the Les Longines site. 123

The Les Longines factory shaped the name

Longines records that Francillon bought land on the River Suze at a place known locally as Les Longines and built the factory there in 1867. WIPO's account also ties the adoption of the Longines name to this factory step.

For a reader checking a watch, this gives a useful language boundary. Longines is not merely a family name or marketing flourish; it is attached to a location, a factory and a transition away from dispersed production. That still does not authenticate a dial or case. It only anchors the company narrative. 13

The winged hourglass is strong trademark evidence

Longines' media center states that Francillon patented a trademark containing the name Longines and the winged hourglass in 1889. WIPO goes further in its own institutional account, describing the winged hourglass logo as the oldest valid trademark in the International Registry and noting the 1893 Madrid registration.

That is unusually concrete brand evidence. It helps explain why the emblem appears so prominently in Longines storytelling. It does not prove that every watch bearing the emblem is genuine, because trademarks can be copied. Treat the logo as a research clue, not the end of the authentication process. 13

Precision timing made the brand public

The Longines story is closely tied to measured performance. Its corporate materials describe prizes in international exhibitions and a long role in sports timing. WIPO's summary lists Longines timing the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, Lindbergh's 1927 flight and the first Tour de France in 1951; it also describes the 1912 electric-wire timing principle.

Those milestones are useful for understanding why Longines has so many chronographs, pilot watches and sport-linked collections. They are not a guarantee that a current sports watch has the same technology as a period timing instrument. 3

The Lindbergh Hour Angle is reference-level history

Longines' official press material says that after Charles Lindbergh's 1927 solo transatlantic flight, which Longines timed, Lindbergh conceived the Hour Angle Watch and Longines was entrusted with production. That story remains powerful because it connects the brand to a specific navigation problem, not only to celebrity association.

For modern owners, the lesson is precision about the claim. A Spirit Zulu Time product page may point to a 1925 dual-time-zone origin, while an Hour Angle page points to Lindbergh's navigation concept. Both are aviation-related, but they are not the same watch or function. 45

How to use Longines history without overclaiming

Longines is easy to write about badly because the archive is so rich. Keep four layers separate: the 1832 Saint-Imier origin, the 1867 Les Longines factory, the 1889 trademark, and later watch-family stories such as Lindbergh, Spirit, Conquest, HydroConquest and DolceVita.

When researching a specific watch, start with the reference, calibre, serial or archive documentation. A Swatch Group brand profile can confirm present group context, and WIPO can support trademark history, but neither source can price an inherited watch or decide whether replacement parts have changed its originality. 1235

Key dates

  1. 1832

    Saint-Imier origin

    Auguste Agassiz joins the trading office that begins the Longines story. 12

  2. 1867

    Les Longines factory

    Francillon's factory step gives the brand its name and production anchor. 13

  3. 1889

    Winged-hourglass trademark

    The name and winged hourglass are protected in Switzerland. 13

  4. 1912

    Electric timing principle

    WIPO describes a start-and-finish electric-wire timing principle. 3

  5. 1927

    Lindbergh flight

    Longines times Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, after which the Hour Angle story develops. 4

Ownership and continuity

Longines has an unusually traceable continuity story through Saint-Imier, the Les Longines factory and the winged-hourglass trademark, but individual watches still require archive and reference evidence. 123

Watchmakers and designers linked to Longines

These people have a sourced relationship to this brand in the Enjoy Watches register. The label beside each name states the relationship recorded; it should not be read as a broader employment or ownership claim.

Identification and service

For an individual watch, record the complete reference, serial, dial, case, and movement markings and compare them with dated primary documentation.

A brand history cannot authenticate, appraise, or establish the provenance of a particular watch.

Evidence and limits

How the claims are supported
  1. source stated claim

    Longines states that it has been based at Saint-Imier since 1832 and is a member of the Swatch Group.

  2. source stated claim

    Longines source materials tie the 1867 factory and the Longines name to Ernest Francillon's Les Longines site.

  3. source stated claim

    Longines identifies an 1889 trademark for the name and winged hourglass, and WIPO describes the logo as the oldest valid trademark in the International Registry.

  4. source stated claim

    WIPO credits Longines with major timing milestones including the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, Lindbergh's 1927 flight, the first Tour de France in 1951 and a 1912 electric-wire timing principle.

  5. source stated claim

    Longines says Charles Lindbergh conceived the Hour Angle Watch after his 1927 transatlantic flight and entrusted production to Longines.

  6. source stated claim

    The Longines Spirit Zulu Time product page ties the Zulu Time name to a 1925 dual-time-zone wristwatch and describes the current reference as COSC-certified with a silicon balance spring.

Known limits

  • This guide does not replace a Longines archive extract or service assessment.
  • The winged hourglass supports brand-history research but does not authenticate a particular watch by itself.
  • Reference-level specifications apply only to the named model page cited.

Direct sources

  1. CorporateLongines · official corporate history · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: 1832 Saint-Imier origin, 1867 factory and 1889 trademark. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

  2. LonginesSwatch Group · official group profile · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: Current Swatch Group brand profile. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

  3. Longines Watch Company: Madrid's Oldest MarkWorld Intellectual Property Organization · institutional history · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: Winged-hourglass trademark, 1867 factory and timing milestones. External source.

  4. The Lindbergh Hour Angle WatchLongines · official press release · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: Lindbergh flight timing and Hour Angle production. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

  5. Longines Spirit Zulu Time L3.812.4.93.6Longines · official current product page · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: 1925 Zulu Time origin and reference-specific current specifications. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

Corrections

The public correction mailbox has not yet been recorded as tested end to end. Read the reporting format and retain your evidence until receipt is acknowledged.

Read the corrections policy