Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A. was founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz, and is based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Agassiz initially had two partners, Florian Morel and Henri Raiguel, who both retired from the watch industry by 1846. Longines’ flying hourglass logo is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with WIPO.
The Swatch Group
In 1993, the parent company of Longines merged with SSIH, which resulted in becoming a subsidiary of the Swatch Group. Today, the Swatch Group also owns Blancpain, Breguet, Certina, Glashütte Original, Hamilton, Omega, Rado, and Tissot.
Custom Ferrari Timepieces
Scuderia Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari began commissioning small batches of Ferrari-branded watches from Bolognese jeweler Gerardo Veronesi in the 1950s to give as gifts to drivers, collaborators, and close friends. These early gift watches included Longines, as well as brands like Zenith, Vetta, and Super Royal. By the 1960s, brands such as Rewel, Lemania, and Girard-Perregaux were used.
Official Timekeeper of Formula 1
In the early 1980s, Longines bought Heuer’s ACIT (Automatic Car Identification Techhnology) system and became the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 in 1982 along with Italian computer manufacturer Olivetti. The two companies retained the role until TAG Heuer took over in 1992.
Scuderia Ferrari
Longines was also a sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari from 1980 to 1987, and introduced the Ferrari collection in 1981. At least one example resides in the Musée Longines in Saint-Imier, Switzerland.
A verified list of all Longines Ferrari models from the 1980s has been provided by Nicolas Chauvy of the Longines Branding and Heritage team. The case and bracelet of all models were two-tone, with dial variations of white, black, and gold:
Ref. 4870 – 1981, caliber L950
Ref. 4888 – 1981, caliber L111
Ref. 4891 – 1981, caliber L111
Ref. 4907 – 1982, caliber L111
Ref. 4908 – 1982, caliber L111
Ref. 4909 – 1982, caliber L950
Ref. 4919 – 1983, caliber L111
Ref. 4920 – 1983, caliber L270
Chauvy has also confirmed that high ranking Ferrari employees as well as drivers Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve were gifted the ref. 4870 with the dial color of their choice. A unique solid gold variant (ref 6023) was also created for Enzo Ferrari.
Renault
Longines also had a partnership with Team Renault during the same time from 1981 to 1985. Chauvy has confirmed that no Renault-branded watches were ever produced, due to their concurrent contract with Ferrari.
Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Sponsorship?
While details remain unclear, Longines also appeared to serve as an Official Timekeeper of Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1990 to 1994. Physical signage at Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing events can be seen in archive footage, as well as a digital logo below the leader board graphics during TV broadcasts. The Olivetti logo has also notably appeared up until the 1991 season, which seems to coincide with their F1 official timekeeping arrangement. It’s worth noting that a 2003 article on Crash.net points towards this possibility, which included a statement that the Swatch Group “have provided the timekeeping facilities for the MotoGP World Championship since 1992”.
According to a Facebook post, Longines was also once the Official Timekeeper of the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix on May 11, 1958 and presumably at least one other time before that. Longines and Olivetti branding also appears to have been present at the 1988 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix, which took place at Imola.
Related Pages
References
https://www.fadfor.com/longines-museum-quest-journey-longines-sports/
https://www.grandprix.com/sponsors/longines.html
https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a1973631/prancing-horses-and-sweeping-hands-history-ferrari-watch/
https://timeandtidewatches.com/ferrari-watch-collaborations/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0lRXh-4324
https://www.esquire.com/uk/watches/a33819319/hublot-ferrari-gt/
https://www.watchesandculture.org/forum/en/watch-brands-and-formula-1/
https://monochrome-watches.com/watches-formula-1-episode-1-history-rolex-official-timekeeper/
https://www.longines.com/en-us/magazine/pioneer-spirits/timing-formula-one
https://www.longines.com/en-us/magazine/pioneer-spirits/timing-ferrari-with-longines/
https://www.longines.com/en-us/magazine/pioneer-spirits/racing-with-renault/
https://magazine.tagheuer.com/en/2024/06/28/tag-heuer-a-long-history-of-performance-on-the-tracks/
https://youtu.be/oAbjOmKG_xk?si=nQ2DZKZzJdetvSMg&t=161
https://www.facebook.com/LonginesZA/posts/1324387397608406/