15 Things You Didn't Know About LONGINES
This is Fashion Fridays! Every Friday, we present you with a fashion icon or topic. Today, we're looking at 15 things you didn't know about Longines. Welcome to a Luxe, the place where future billionaires come to get informed.
Hello, a Luxors! Today, we're talking about a luxury watch brand that might not shine the brightest but never stands in anyone's shadow. Let's talk about Longines. The Swiss luxury watchmaker was founded in 1832 by Augustus Agassiz. His brother, Louis Agassiz, was already a famous naturalist when he got into the watchmaking business. Augustus' nephew, Ernest Frowsty-Law, joined the business in 1852 and made the brand what it is today.
The company has grown from its base in St. Meyer, Switzerland, to be one of the leading luxury watch brands, and it's well established in the market. In 2009, when the company was celebrating its 175th anniversary, they raked in over $70.3 million in revenue. If you're new here, welcome! Be sure to subscribe and follow us on Instagram at a Luxe.
So, we've covered a little background, but it's time to take a closer look at this thriving company with the 15 things you didn't know about Longines.
Number one: Longines is named after a roadside location. Most companies are named after their founders or made-up words, but this isn't the case with Longines. When Ernest Frowsty-Law took over the company, he set up its first manufacturing plant. The building that housed the factory, where Ernest brought in all the individual components, was located in a place known by the French-speaking locals as "Les Longines." This is French for "long meadows." Frowsty-Law later adopted this as the name for the brand.
Number two: Longines has been the official timekeeper for the Kentucky Derby since 2011. The Kentucky Derby is the longest continually running sports event in America. The event started in 1875 and has been going on ever since. The Kentucky Derby is also known as the fastest two minutes in sports. On average, almost 160,000 people are packed into the stadium, and even in bad weather, this is great advertising for Longines, who has served as the official timekeeper for the quick race since 2011. Fun fact: over $200 million in bets are spent at the event. Other than horse racing, there's also a fashion event, a lot of food, and tons of fun. The Derby is held on the first Saturday of May every single year.
Number three: Longines has a star-studded list of ambassadors. Every luxury watch brand uses celebrities to help promote their products, so of course, Longines is no exception. They have a long list of celebrity ambassadors from various spheres of entertainment to fashion. These include Steffi Graf, an icon in women's tennis, and Simon Baker, an Australian actor. Others are American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura, Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet, and tennis star Andre Agassi. The list just keeps getting longer and longer with every new addition to the team each year.
Number four: Longines keeps a detailed record of every watch it has ever sold. Proud of its long history of elegance and craftsmanship, Longines keeps detailed records of all the watches they sell. The records are housed in the Longines Museum located at the company headquarters in St. Meyer. The gallery has a complete display of all of its models. This enviable set includes timing devices, medals, navigational instruments, and posters. The most impressive item in the museum is the 800 written records kept between 1867 and 1969. Should you buy an antique timepiece from this period, the records can show you who its previous owner was.
Number five: The most expensive Longines watch is the $17,875 Prima Luna. Longines has become one of the most popular luxury watch brands in America. It's not uncommon to spot a Longines timepiece displayed above a scoreboard in a football or baseball stadium. But how much does an original Longines actually cost? The most expensive watch Longines has produced is the Prima Luna; it retails at $17,875, which is not that pricey compared to some other brands. It's a beautiful watch with a pink gold case and pink hands. A total of 48 diamonds add value, along with a mother-of-pearl dial. The watch face is covered with sapphire glass. It's a prime example of the best Longines has to offer.
Number six: Swatch Group, the parent company for Longines, sued Tiffany & Co. The big players in the luxury watch industry made an alliance back in 2007. The deal was to have Swatch Group manufacture and supply watches to Tiffany & Co. However, just four years in, the two companies ended their business relationship in a bitter conflict that ended in a lawsuit. Swatch Group carried the day in court and was awarded almost $450 million. The arbitration was done secretly in a courtroom in the Netherlands.
Number seven: Longines watches were used to bribe FIFA officials. In the recent past, the football organization FIFA has been accused of corruption, unethical practices, and excessive expenditure. In 2014, the football body again made headlines after it was established that the officials had been gifted expensive watches during the World Cup by the Brazilian Football Federation. During the same period, it was uncovered that FIFA bought its officials 750 Longines watches, costing a total of $160,000, during its Delegate Congress. The average salary for a FIFA employee is around $220,000. Sounds like a great place to work!
Number eight: Longines owner Swatch quit Fossil's world. This is where all the big players in the industry come to show off their latest innovations and products. Recently, there's been an exodus from the show, with most exhibitors citing the high cost as the chief reason. In fact, the Swatch Group announced the 2018 show would be their last. Now, most watch brands prefer the SIHH that is held in Geneva.
Number nine: Longines sponsors over 40 events every year. No other watch brand is as busy as Longines, who is actively involved in 40 events as a sponsor every year. Their main interest is horse racing, but they do venture into other areas as well. Some of the main events where Longines is either the official timekeeper or the official watch include the Kentucky Derby, Hampton Classic Horse Show, Longines International Racing Festival, the Topkapi Trophy in Turkey, the Federal Gymnastics Festival, the French Open Tennis Championship, the Dubai World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, and F1 races.
Number ten: Longines watches have appeared in three James Bond films. Everybody has heard or watched at least one James Bond movie in their life; however, many people have not noticed a Longines watch in some of the films. In Casino Royale, Mads Mikkelsen wears a Longines Evidenza chronograph in a poker scene. In 2012's Skyfall, Dr. Hall can be seen wearing a Longines Evidenza as well. The assassin, Patrice, is seen wearing a Longines Legend Diver watch with black straps. Lastly, in 2015's Spectre, Emma wears a Longines Conquest Heritage. The scene passes so quickly you have to pause it to see it. These Longines look perfect with a designer suit, and you can learn some more about the designer of the most recent James Bond bespoke suits by watching our video on the 15 things you didn't know about Tom Ford. Click on the upper right-hand corner to check it out.
Number eleven: Longines and Lindbergh revolutionized the aviation industry. In 1931, a pilot by the name of Charles Lindbergh designed a navigational instrument that Longines helped to bring to life. Charles had just made his first nonstop solo flight over the North Atlantic and realized that pilots could easily get lost. The Lindbergh Hour Angle watch could help pilots calculate their longitude and latitude, helping them to know their precise location. Before this technology, flying was very risky and was often done only by soldiers during the war, and often it was a one-way trip. Lindbergh's voyage and later his technology, developed with Longines, changed the way people viewed flying forever.
Number twelve: Longines is the oldest brand name registered with the WIPO that is still in use. When the founder's economist nephew took over the business, he had a vision. The first plan was to brand the business. Their records show the first time the watch had the Longines name was in 1867. It was also accompanied by a winged hourglass that was engraved on the movements. Frowsty-Law went on and registered the name in 1880 with the Federal Office of Intellectual Property. The logo was registered nine years later, in 1893, he registered the brand's name and logo with the United International Bureau for the Protection of Intellectual Property. It's now the oldest brand name registered with the WIPO that is still in use.
Number thirteen: Longines was the official timekeeper for the world land speed record. In 1964, Donald Campbell set out to do what no man had managed to do before. Using his super-fast Bluebird 2 car, he raced across Lake Eyre in Australia and set the world land speed record for over 400 miles per hour. He remains the only man to break both water speed and world land records. He wore a Longines Chronos Ingenieur when he smashed both records. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1967 while attempting to break yet another world water speed record.
Number fourteen: Longines has never left its birthplace of St. Meyer. Most luxury watch companies had humble beginnings. During those times, craftsmen had their workshops and would make the components and take them to the manufacturer for assembly. Longines is no exception. Augustus Agassiz had a similar arrangement with craftsmen in his region. He assembled and distributed the finished products and grew the business. The logical move would have been to relocate the headquarters to a bigger building in a bigger city, but even after all the success, the company headquarters is still in that French-speaking municipality.
Number fifteen: Longines was the first to break the 2-millimeter barrier. There's been a bit of a race among the top Swiss luxury watchmakers to make the thinnest watch. Thanks to technology, the thickness is down to two millimeters. Globally, in most categories such as automatic watches, it's understood that if you go any thinner, you risk compromising the strength of the timepiece. In 1979, Longines developed a quartz watch that was 1.98 millimeters thick. The watch was named the Phidias, meaning "gold leaf." It was the first watch to break the two-millimeter barrier and remains a wonder to date.
Well, a Luxors, that's a wrap on our 15 interesting facts about Longines! We're curious to know what's your favorite fact about Longines. Do you have any interesting facts that didn't make it onto this list? Feel free to expand on the list in the comment section. And as always, for being a true a Luxor and watching with us until the end, you know you get a bonus! Here it is:
Number sixteen: Sepp Blatter, head of FIFA, has been marred with controversies right from his first year in office when he was accused of buying votes that got him into office. Since then, he's been at the heart of every scandal, from corruption allegations to sex scandals. However, what many don't know is that Sepp Blatter is from humble backgrounds. After getting his degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Lucerne, Blatter worked at LeVine as a departmental director. In fact, he contributed to the team that helped develop the timing for the 1972 Olympic Games.
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