News To mark this anniversary, Longines unveiled its newly restored museum, a book recounting its history, and commemorative timepieces.
On 27 September this year, Walter Von Känel, CEO of the brand, invited 180 guests of all denominations - institutional, political and economic representatives, management of the Swatch Group, media and friends – to celebrate this major milestone, important not only because of its longevity, but also due to the fact that since its foundation the firm has never moved from its current site in Saint-Imier. In this small commune of around 5,000 inhabitants, every family has one or more members working for Longines, sometimes from father to son in the same trade. But let’s get back to the history!
In 1832, Auguste Agassiz entered the world of watch manufacturing by joining a watchmaking factory in Saint-Imier, which he quickly went on to manage under the company name of Agassiz & Compagnie. In those days the firm produced timepieces according to the method of the «établissage» – based on the principle of home workers – and developed commercial links enabling it to sell its watches on other continents, particularly America. In the 1850s, Ernest Francillon, the nephew of Agassiz, became the director of the factory. Taking over the reins of this renowned company, he thought about ways of improving the manufacturing methods used in regional watchmaking. His ideas led him to try to regroup the different stages of watch finishing – carried out in different locations at the time – in a single building. Francillon wanted to establish a factory where he could assemble and finish the watch while benefiting from mechanical production processes. To carry out his plan, in 1866 he bought two adjoining plots of land on the right bank of the Suze – the river running through the valley of Saint-Imier – known as Les Longines, and in 1867 founded the Longines factory. Ernest Francillon then recruited Jacques David, a young engineer and family relation, to help develop the machines he needed to improve the manufacture of timepieces. During the 1870s, the industrial choices made by Francillon proved their worth and the factory grew steadily until the early decades of the 20th century: in 1911, the Longines manufactory employed more than 1,100 workers and distributed its timepieces all over the world.
If Longines today is one of the top five Swiss watch manufacturers, it owes this achievement primarily to its director. A charismatic person, Walter von Känel is conspicuous by his kindness and his ability to get on with people. With a smile here and a kind word there, he ignores no one and readily acknowledges that the firm owes its impressive development above all to its staff. Walter von Känel has spent more than forty years with Longines, where he began his career in 1969 in the sales and marketing department. He has succeeded throughout these four decades in positioning the brand on all markets, and in forging links through sponsorship with numerous sports such as swimming, gymnastics, Alpine skiing, tennis and archery. Indeed its activity in the world of sport goes well beyond sponsorship: for many years Longines has been the official timekeeper at major sporting competitions. It has also accompanied great pioneers of the air, land and sea. What’s more, the Saint-Imier firm has been one of the most successful watch manufacturers in terms of recognition at international exhibitions and world fairs, with no fewer than ten Grand Prix awards to its name.
To give its history the recognition it deserves, Longines has expanded and renovated its museum, which in several rooms presents exhibits covering a variety of themes (old books, historic artefacts, timekeeping, aviation, sport, etc). It has also published a book retracing its 180 year history entitled «Longines, du comptoir familial à la marque globale», penned by Pierre-Yves Donzé.
And of course an anniversary of this stature could not be celebrated without commemorative limited-edition watches, this being the perfect opportunity to present timepieces illustrating its long tradition and expertise. The Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph 180th Anniversary, with its exclusive movement produced especially for Longines, reveals an aesthetic rooted in the brand’s tradition. Two ultra-thin ladies’ models add their touch of elegance to the commemoration of this anniversary (gold Agassiz 180th Anniversary Limited Edition, steel Grande Classique de Longines 180th Anniversary Limited Edition), both set with 180 diamonds. Evoking the brand’s prestigious history, the Longines Lépine 180th Anniversary pocket watch is available in gold and steel.
While continuity and longevity are the watchwords of Longines, elegance is also to the fore in the slogan that accompanies its advertising visuals and its ambassadors: «Elegance is an attitude». Let us hope therefore that the brand reaches the milestone of two centuries of existence with no less elegance and success.
October 30, 2012
