LONGINES - WITTNAUER WATCH COMPANY

Longines Watch Company was started in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz who opened a workshop in St Imier, Switzerland.  He operated  a "Home Business" where workers would work on watches from there own homes, which Agassiz would later sell. 

 Sometime between 1854 and 1866 Agassiz handed over the operation of his watchmaking business to his nephew Ernest Francillon. Francillon soon built a factory in Les Longines near St. Imier and consolidated all of the areas watchmaking under one roof.  The Longines name was born.

The company began producing chronographs in 1879.   They later produced aviator watches and cockpit instruments. The company registered its world known "Winged Hourglass" trademark in May of 1890.

In 1912 Longines produced the first automatic timekeeping device.  From that day on Longines has long been associated with time-keeping at major sporting events including the Olympics.

 In the 1950's Longines purchased the Wittnauer watch company and marketed a number of very similar lines of watches in the US under both brand names and Longines Wittnauer has now become one of the finest watches a collector can find because of the elegant and timeless designs, The accuracy and reliability, and the readily available parts.