Longines was initially registered as Raiguel Jeune & Cie, the brand renamed itself to Longines and currently functions as a brand under the umbrella of the Swatch Group. Elegance, tradition, and performance are the three cornerstones of Longines. Based in Switzerland, Longines sits on the bank of the river Suez, bringing all stages of manufacturing and assembling under one factory. The brand has been a timekeeper for many international sports events and championships, proving its uncompromising standards.
The different collections showcase unique features based on elegance, watching-making tradition, aviation, diving, and performance. To date, the Longines Master collection remains most popular. With a classic, timeless design, high-grade materials, and versatile functionality, the Master collection makes it perfect for everyday use and dynamic functions. While Longines may not hold the same level of recognition as Rolex or Omega, they produce remarkable luxury watches that can stand the test of time!
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History of Longines
Longines is a Swiss watch company based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland since 1832. Known for producing Luxury watches, the company is a member of the Swatch Group Ltd.
The company was founded by Swiss watchmaker Auguste Agassiz. Before it was called Longines, the registered name was Raiguel Jeune & Cie. After retirement by two other partners, Agassiz invited his nephew, economist Ernest Francillon, to join the company. Francillon later took over when Agassiz fell ill.
In 1867, after Francillon promoted new mass-production methods, the company was named Longines, after Les Longines (St. Imier), the new company location.
A bit of trivia: The brand’s logo, a winged hourglass, has been a registered trademark since 1889 and remains active and unchanged to this day.
One interesting thing about the company is that it has recorded all of the serial numbers of all its watches since 1867. If an owner wants information on any Longines timepiece, they will only need to check the serial number, and the company will be able to provide you services such as a Certificate of Authenticity and a document that’s an “Extract from the Archives.” For more information on how to go about this process, visit this page.
Swiss-Made Watches
All Longines watches are made in Switzerland. Known for producing accurate timepieces, Longines continues to sponsor sports events, collaborating with many sports industries and playing as the official timekeeper for competitions like the French Open, Formula One World Championship, Commonwealth Games and Archery World Cup. These sports collaborations started when the company developed its chronograph movement in 1878.
The first in-house watch movement produced by Longines is the Calibre 20A. Built with an anchor escapement and a pendant winding and setting mechanism, this was awarded at the 1987 Universal Exhibition in Paris.
Longines produces luxury watches, some would say that it’s one of the “affordable” luxury watch brands). As part of the Swatch Group, they are in a similar price range and category as Rado. Longines is marketed as a middle brand between the more affordable Tissot and luxury of Omega.
Longines excels at elegant design, rich history, and accuracy are respected by watch enthusiasts, athletes, and the fashion industry.
The Longines Museum
The company has a museum in Saint-Imier. If you happen to find yourself in this Swiss city, this is an excellent place to get to know the brand and its models. This place is where you can learn about the company’s history, past and present timepieces, and documents.
There are also special rooms for the company’s watchmaking history, sport watch models, and exploration missions.
If you’d like to see the museum’s collections online, you can also take a virtual tour on its website.
Longines Watch Collections
On its website, Longines has a total of five collections of watches, which we will take a closer look at below. There are hundreds of different models to choose from so we’ll cover the entire collection and talk about some of the best watches under it.
Longines Elegance Collection
The Elegance collection has eight models. First is the Dolcevita, a rectangular case and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. This line has a wide range of choices for men’s and women’s sizes.
The Longines Symphonette has a unique oval shape and diamonds–one of the most popular models is the steel version that has diamonds on the case. Dedicated to 21st-century women, this collection was made for women who like an elegant and contemporary design. This model also has Top Wesselton diamonds, a term used to describe the gem’s color/clarity.
If you’re looking for a more classic look, you can consider watches from the Agassiz collection. These timepieces have a round shape, case materials such as 18-karat yellow gold or pink gold, painted Roman numerals, black hands, and quartz movement. This collection marks the 150th anniversary of Longines. As the name suggests, this is a tribute to Agassiz and the brand’s history.
If you’d like to learn more about quartz watches, check out this article on our site.
The Présence collection is another classic design, with a round stainless steel case. The brand describes it as “elegance enhanced by simplicity“–with applied indexes or Roman numerals for hour markers and strap materials like leather, alligator strap, or stainless steel and yellow PVD coating.
Longines Watchmaking Tradition Collection
The Longines Watchmaking Tradition collection has seven different types of watches.
There’s the Master Collection, which launched in 2005. These watches all have self-winding movement and different designs and special features: a column-wheel chronograph, retrograde functions, moon phase display, and bracelet materials like alligator, stainless steel, and 18-karat pink gold.
The Longines 1832 is dedicated to the company’s date of creation. These have a classic look, combining “tradition, elegance and performance”–with applied indexes and polished silver hands, a Swiss Super Luminova, Longines L592 or L888 movements, and an attractive, transparent case back with sapphire crystal. These have 40mm and 30mm versions, so it’s excellent for both small and big wrists.
Longines has a long history of participation in sports, creating timepieces for both athletes and the audience. The Conquest Classic is a line that is “worn amidst the excitement” of sports competitions. These watches, which all have self-winding calibers, were the official pieces in many sports events like gymnastics, equestrian sports, and archery. Some of the essential features of the different models include a column-wheel chronograph, diamond indexes, and Swiss Super LumiNova.
The Longines Evidenza has a unique tonneau shape (resembling a casket or a barrel), a classic design based on a 1925 model but can be traced back to 1911. Available in men’s and women’s sizes, these watches have an elegant and classic look that’s perfect for everyday and formal occasions. These are available in stainless steel and alligator straps and have either quartz or automatic movement.
One of the most famous personalities that wore a Longines watch was Albert Einstein, who owned a Longines tonneau wristwatch in the early 1930s. The back of the 14k gold watch was engraved with “Prof. Albert Einstein, Los Angeles, Feb. 16, 1931,” and was auctioned in October 2008, valued at $596,000. This makes the watch the highest-priced Longines timepiece in an auction. Einstein had another Longines watch—a pocket watch dated 1943.
Longines Equestrian Collection
Longines is known for its major support and participation in the equestrian world, and this collection pays tribute to the sport.
Serving as a watchmaker, partner, and official timekeeper of equestrian events worldwide, the brand has shown its passion for the equestrian sport since the 1870s, when it first produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and its mount. In 1912, it started its partnership with an international show jumping competition.
This collection has unique styles: a white mother of pearl round or oval-shaped dial and diamond hour markers, round black lacquer polished with diamond hour markers and a round silver case with Roman numerals.
There are also pocket watches, like the 18-karat pink gold case with white lacquer, Roman numerals with mechanical movement, and a single-push chronograph. See other equestrian watches here.
Longines Sport Collection
The Longines Conquest is a collection dedicated to those who frequently travel. These watches, such as the Conquest V.H.P. (Very High Precision) GMT, will allow you to change time zone easily: you can do this by either setting it manually or using the Flash Setting, which will enable you to set the watch flash pulses with the help of a smartphone.
The Conquest—“the quintessential expression of the brand’s sporting elegance”—has various design variations such as rubber, stainless steel, leather, and black PVD coated straps. Some models also have chronograph functions and a perpetual calendar.
This collection also included the Hyrdoconquest dive watches, which have dive-friendly features such as 300-meter water resistance, a stainless steel strap with a double safety folding clasp and integrated diving extension, and a Swiss Super LumiNova luminosity.
Longines Heritage Collection
The watches under the brand’s Heritage collection are other excellent options for those who dive. One of the most popular models is the Skin Diver, which first came out in the late 1950s and continues to be reissued today.
This model is excellent for hobby and semi-professional divers, this model has a stainless steel case with legible Arabic numerals and indexes, a durable rubber strap, and a Swill Super-Luminova luminosity.
Longines Brand Ambassadors
Because Longines is known for its participation in sports events. It has many brand ambassadors who are athletes: gymnast Giulia Steingruber, Swiss horse rider Jane Richard, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, and tennis player Andre Agassi.
The brand has celebrity partners as well. Some of the most prominent include Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Harry Connick Jr., Kate Winslet, Simon Baker, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
To get to know some of these ambassadors, visit this page.
Longines Brand Reputation
Longines watches are known for elegance, and the brand is backed by its long Swiss watchmaking heritage. Many watch enthusiasts would consider Longines an entry-level luxury brand.
As part of the Swatch Watch Group, the brand is positioned below Omega but a tier above Hamilton, Certina or Mido.
Many watch buyers would rank Longines above Tag Heuer for an entry-level luxury watch – even though Tag is probably a more recognized name to the general public due to their marketing efforts.
On the lower end of the price spectrum, some shoppers also compare Longines and Tissot although Tissot does have models that sell for half the low-end Longines models.
Longines offers quality and value at the price range they market their watch, offering value – classic design, refined craftsmanship, and quality ETA movements.
Dating back to 1878, Tissot has collaborated with sporting events to develop their chronographs. Tissot has been the official timekeeper for many sporting events, including Formula One World Championship, Commonwealth Games, the French Open, and recently became the first Swiss watch brand to be the Official Timekeeper of the three Grand Tours of Cycling at the same time (Tour de France, La Vuelta à Espana and Giro de Italia).
These world-class sporting events and celebrity endorsements and ambassadors give Tissot a reputation for being a well-respected watch brand.
Are Longines Good Watches?
As mentioned, regardless of their progression as a brand, Longines watches are still high quality, and they are compared to other Swiss-made, entry-level luxury brands.
If you are looking for your first Longines watch, you may want to concentrate on their classic “Heritage” collection that features re-issues of their iconic models.
Is Longines A Luxury Watch Brand?
Yes, Longines is considered a luxury Swiss watch brand, most would put the brand in the “entry-level” luxury category based on the materials, movements and price ranges of their watches. When it comes to the luxury watch market it is widely debated what the difference is between entry-level, mid, and high-end luxury. Still, most would agree that Longines is solidly footed in the entry-level Swiss watch market.
Where to Buy Longines Watches
Longines has branches all over the world. If you’d like to check the available locations in your area, you can use the company’s Store Locator on their website to look for retailers near you—you can narrow down searches to states and cities. Longines watches are also available online through many online retailers, and you can order directly from their website via the company’s official e-shop. The price, complete watch information, shipping, and warranty details are all provided.
The Longines online shop has filter options that will allow you to narrow down your choices. You can check your preferred filter (such as price, movement, color, material, and shape), and the site will do the work for you.
Longines is a well-respected watch brand that you’ll find in high-end watch boutiques and reputable department stores from Saks in NYC to Harrod’s in London.
You can also purchase Longines watches on Amazon. There are several second-hand and vintage pieces available as well.
Longines watches are priced at around $750 to $6,500 on their official website. However, you may find affordable deals on third-party websites.
Longines Warranty Policy
Customers get a Longines Co. Francillon Ltd warranty for 24 months from the date of purchase. The company said that the warranty covers material and manufacturing defects at the time of delivery: “The warranty only comes into force if the warranty certificate is dated, fully and correctly completed and stamped by an official LONGINES dealer,” says the company on the website, adding that the warranty can only be valid of the certificate was dated and fully completed by an official Longines retailer.
Read more about the Longines warranty terms here. For more details on the Longines service warranty, visit this page.
So, are Longines watches good? The simple answer is yes. Its slogan is “Elegance is an attitude,” and it delivers. All of the watches we featured below are elegant and of high quality.
These watches are not cheap, but being one of the oldest and most respected Swiss watchmakers in the world, you can be sure that if you buy a Longines watch, you are investing in a timepiece crafted by some of the best artisans in the industry.
