Longines

Longines has over 190 years of history to look back on and remains one of the most successful Swiss luxury watch manufacturers to this day. The business is known for their high-quality timepieces. Since the end of the 19th century, Longines watches have been used in tennis, skiing, and equestrian events. This company uses many technological timekeeping innovations in its wristwatches. For example, Longines offers chronographs that stop time to the nearest hundredth of a second.

The product range includes both women's and men's models, characterized by traditionally elegant designs and an excellent price-performance ratio. The watch family is divided into two main collections, Classic and Sport. Here you'll find classics like the Legend Diver, HydroConquest, and Lindbergh Hour Angle, as well as modern reinterpretations of historical designs. Examples of the latter include the DolceVita and Spirit lines.

Longines manufactures the majority of its watches in stainless steel. However, made of 18-karat gold or lightweight titanium are also available. These watches are powered by ETA calibers, manufactured exclusively to Longines' specifications. Longines uses both mechanical and quartz calibers in its timepieces.

5 Reasons to Buy a Longines Watch

• Exceptional value for money
• A wide variety of designs, from retro to modern
• Master Collection: exclusively mechanical watches
• V.H.P. Chronograph: accurate to within one-hundredth of a second
• Oldest registered watch brand in the world

Prices for Longines watches on Chrono24 start at around 100 USD and top out at approximately 56,000 USD. The most affordable models tend to be quartz timepieces from the 1980s and 90s. At the other end of the price spectrum, you'll find vintage chronographs from the 1940s to 1960s.

Prices for Longines watches from the current collections start at around 1,000 USD. The Elegant collection's line of classic dress watches, for example, includes quartz models. You can also find watches in this price range from the ultra-precise Conquest V.H.P. quartz collection on Chrono24. If you'd prefer a Conquest with a mechanical movement, plan to spend around 2,100 USD. The popular Conquest Chronograph Automatic will set you back about 3,700 USD.

Prices for Longines Diving Watches

For current models from the popular HydroConquest or Legend Diver series, you should be prepared to spend between 1,400 and 2,400 USD. If you want your HydroConquest to have a GMT function, prices climb to between 2,500 and 3,000 USD. Timepieces in the Heritage Classic line are similarly priced.

Prices for watches in the DolceVita collection range from approximately 1,800 to 6,600 USD. The price depends mainly on whether you choose a stainless steel or gold model.

Prices for Watch in the Longines Spirit and Master Collections

Three-hand models from the Spirit pilot's watch collection launched in 2020 range between 2,100 and 2,500 USD. You can own a chronograph from the series for around 3,100 USD. A Spirit Zulu Time with a second time zone will set you back between 3,000 and 4,000 USD, depending on the edition. If you want to call a Spirit Chronograph Flyback your own, expect to shell out around 4,500 USD.

For Longines watches with more sophisticated complications, such as those in the Master Collection, you should plan on spending between 2,500 and 4,300 USD.

Diving watches from the HydroConquest collection have been a part of the Saint-Imier-based manufacturer's catalog since 2007. Each timepiece is equipped with a unidirectional bezel and water-resistant to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft). The HydroConquest collection also includes models with a chronograph function. Frequent flyers, on the other hand, will get their money's worth with the HydroConquest GMT. Super-LumiNova hands and numerals make it easy to tell the time in low light conditions.

Longines offers the HydroConquest in sizes ranging from 39 to 44 mm. The manufacturer makes most models in stainless steel. Two-tone stainless steel versions with gold-plated links are also available. The HydroConquest collection offers models with automatic or high-precision quartz calibers.

The Longines Hydroconquest at a Glance

• Professional diving watch
• Water-resistant to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft)
• Diameters of 39, 41, 43, and 44 mm
• Available in stainless steel or two-tone versions
• Automatic or quartz caliber
• Three-hand watches, chronographs, and GMT models
• Price range (approx.): 1,800 to 2,900 USD

The extensive Conquest collection consists of sporty three-hand watches and chronographs. The Conquest line offers Longines fans a choice of automatic or quartz movements in sizes ranging from 29.5 to 43 mm. With diameters of 29.5 and 34 mm, the Conquest Classic collection is mainly aimed at women. The Conquest Heritage collection, on the other hand, brings together watches inspired by classics from Longines' rich history.

Conquest V.H.P. – Especially Precise

Longines was one of the first Swiss watch manufacturers to experiment with quartz watch technology. The company developed its first quartz watches back in 1954 and set chronometric records with them. The Ultra-Quartz line of electronic wristwatches was added to the Longines catalog in the late 1960s. The Conquest V.H.P. collection presented in 2017 also follows this tradition. The abbreviation V.H.P. stands for "Very High Precision." It's aptly named, since this watch has a deviation of only five seconds per year.

The three-hand version of the Conquest V.H.P. features a perpetual calendar and the Gear Position Detection System. This system automatically returns the hands to the correct position after a strong shock or exposure to a magnetic field. With a five-year battery life, these watches can keep ticking 24 months longer than conventional quartz watches – without external intervention.

You can get the Conquest V.H.P. is available as a three-hand model, chronograph, or in a version with a second time zone.

Features of the Conquest V.H.P.

• Precise quartz caliber with a deviation of five seconds per year
• Perpetual calendar
• Gear Position Detection system
• Five-year battery life
• V.H.P. GMT with an automatic time zone mechanism

The Master Collection pays homage to Longines' watchmaking tradition and exclusively consists of mechanical watches. These timepieces put a sporty and modern twist on classic, elegant designs.

The highlight of the collection is the Longines Master Collection Retrograde, which has four retrograde displays. These four retrograde displays are joined by a window for the moon phase and a day/night indicator.

The Master Collection Chrono Moonphase also comes with some interesting complications. These include a chronograph function, full calendar, moon phase display, and a second time zone.

Longines Master Collection at a Glance

• Watches with a classic, elegant look
• Exclusively mechanical movements
• Chronograph, moon phase, full calendar, and retrograde models
• Available in stainless steel, two-tone, and gold versions
• Wide range of sizes
• Price range (approx.): 2,500 to 4,300 USD

At Longines, retro timepieces inspired by historical watches usually bear the suffix "Heritage." The brand's Heritage Classic collection includes classic dress watches that go perfectly with shirts and suits. Examples include the Heritage Classic Tuxedo, Longines Sector Dial, and Flagship Heritage.

Longines Heritage Avigation

The watches in the Heritage Avigation collection are – as the name suggests – inspired by historic pilot's watches. The model for the Avigation Heritage BigEye is a chronograph the company introduced in the 1930s.

Other classics in the Avigation series include the Weems Second-Setting Watch, Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, and Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 with a 45° rotated dial.

Longines Heritage Collection at a Glance

• New interpretations of classic Longines timepieces
• Collection of dress watches, chronographs, and pilot's watches
• Exclusively mechanical calibers
• Price range (approx.): 1,900 to 3,900 USD

The Longines Legend Diver bears a strong resemblance to its diving watch predecessor from the 1960s. Unlike most diving watches, the Legend Diver has an internal bezel for tracking dive times. The ring is operated by a second crown at 2 o'clock.

Longines offers the Legend Diver in diameters of 36, 39, and 42 mm, making it suitable for wrists of all sizes. The watches are made of stainless steel and powered exclusively by mechanical automatic calibers. The timepiece is water-resistant to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft).

Longines Legend Diver at a Glance

• Retro-style diving watch
• Inner bezel with additional crown at 2 o'clock
• Water-resistant to 300 m (30 bar, 984 ft)
• Automatic movement
• Stainless steel case with a diameter of 36, 39, or 42 mm
• Price range (approx.): 2,300 to 3,300 USD

In the fall of 2020, Longines unveiled a new series of retro-designed pilot's watches called Spirit. All models in the collection have the simple dials typical of pilot's watches. These are perfectly legible thanks to the watch's applied Arabic numerals, slender baton hands, and finely graduated seconds scale at the edge of the dial. Other features common to all Spirit watches are the large onion crown and the five stars on the dial. The latter represent the highest quality.

You can choose from three-hand watches, chronographs, and the Spirit Zulu Time with a GMT function. The latter are available with a tricompax dial or in a bicompax version with a flyback function. You can also choose between stainless steel and titanium models. Two-tone timepieces are also available.

Longines Spirit at a Glance

• Pilot's watch in retro style
• Three-hand watches, chronographs, and GMT models
• Stainless steel, titanium, and two-tone versions
• Available in sizes of 36, 39, 40, and 42 mm
• Water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft)
• Price range (approx.): 2,100 to 5,000 USD

Longines also offers numerous ladies models, most of which can be found in the brand's Elegance collection. Particularly striking are the models in the DolceVita collection and their Mini DolceVia counterparts. These timepieces have rectangular cases and are made from materials like stainless steel or 18-karat rose gold. Two-tone versions are also available. When it comes to the dials, Longines offers a choice between simple designs with applied baton indices and Roman numerals in the Art Deco style. The latter are strongly reminiscent of the classic Cartier Tank.

Models from the PrimaLuna collection have rounded cases that hold metal bracelets securely on the wrist. The two-tone stainless steel and diamond-encrusted gold variants are particularly feminine.

Watches from the Symphonette collection combine traditional and modern design with an oval case. This line also includes diamond-set variants.

Longines Ladies’ Watches at a Glance

• DolceVita & Mini DolceVita: Rectangular cases, Art Deco style, mostly quartz movements, available in stainless steel, gold, and two-tone versions, also with diamond settings
• PrimaLuna: Round cases, automatic or quartz caliber, also with moon phase display, available in stainless steel, gold, and two-tone versions, also with diamond settings
• Symphonette: Elliptical cases, quartz movements, available in stainless steel and two-tone versions, also with diamond settings

The beginnings of the Swiss watch manufacturer Longines date back to 1832. In the summer of that same year, 23 year-old businessman Auguste Agassiz settled in the small town of Saint-Imier as an active partner in the watch shop Comptoir Raiguel Jeune. Comptoir bought ébauche movements and passed them on to watchmakers. Agassiz was so successful that he took complete control of the workshop in 1846. However, health problems forced him to find a suitable successor. He chose his nephew, Ernest Francillon, who joined the company in 1852 and took over shortly thereafter.

The young Francillon quickly realized that Comptoir watchmaking was not a sustainable production method. So he started thinking about mass production. When a plot of land on the banks of the River Suze came up for sale in 1866, Francillon seized the opportunity and bought the site. The site, called "Les Longines" ("long meadows"), was ideal for the construction of a factory. Francillon inaugurated the new production facility in 1867. The same year, the first watch was presented under the label "E. Francillon, Longines, Suisse" with the in-house developed movement 20A, which won a prize at the World Exhibition in Paris. On May 27, 1889, Francillon registered the brand name "Longines" with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. This makes Longines the oldest registered watch brand in the world.

Over the years, Longines industrialized its production processes and became a pioneer in the mechanization of watch manufacturing.

Is Longines a luxury brand?

Longines is a traditional Swiss watchmaker that, along with Omega, Blancpain, and Breguet, is part of the Swatch Group's luxury watch segment.

What does the name "Longines" mean?

The name comes from the name of the first Longines factory in the Swiss town of Saint Imier. This location was also known as "Les Longines," which means something like "the long meadows."

Which celebrities wear Longines watches?

Among the celebrities who have worn a Longines watch are Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuel Macron, Cuba Gooding Jr, Regé-Jean Page, and Simon Baker.