Longines in Formula 1 and MotoGP

Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A. was founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz, and is based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Originally named Raiguel Jeune & Cie, the Longines name was adopted in 1867 after the company established its first factory in Les Longines (“long meadows”). Longines’ flying hourglass logo is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with WIPO.

Longines developed its first chronograph movement in 1878, with early forays in equestrian sports. The brand’s first wrist watch, the Weems Avigation watch, was produced in 1927. By 1931, Longines had worked with Charles Lindbergh on the Hour Angle aviation watch.

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, Hamilton, Omega, Rado, Tissot, and Union Glashütte.

1952 Dutch Grand Prix

Longines appears to have been some sort of sponsor of the 1952 Dutch Grand Prix which was held at Zandvoort. The brand logo appeared on the official event program.

1952 was also notable for having been run under Formula Two regulations.

Early Involvement in Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing

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 also appears to have served an official timekeeping role at the Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix across multiple years, including 1958, 1959, 1970, and 1972, where the brand features on event posters.

Longines and Olivetti branding also appears to have been present at the 1988 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix, which took place at Imola.

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 in 1982 signed a three-year agreement to serve as the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 alongside Italian computer manufacturer Olivetti. Longines would retain the role through the end of 1991.

By the following year in 1992, the brand had announced a change in marketing direction. Nicolas Hayek, then chairman of the board and director of SMH (Société de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie), was quoted as saying “We refuse to spend money on Formula 1, for cars that go round and round on a circuit. It is quite useless.”

Scuderia Ferrari

Longines was also a sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari from 1980 to 1989, which included a four-year extension that was announced in 1983. The Ferrari collection was announced in 1981, with at least one example being on display in the Musée Longines in Saint-Imier, Switzerland.

Nigel Mansell drives the Longines-sponsored Ferrari 640 at the 1989 Belgian Grand Prix. (Photo: by Polmars, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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:

Year	Ref.	Caliber	Dial Color
1981	4870.4	L950	Black
1981	4888.4	L111	Black
1981	4891.4	L111	Gold
1982	4907.4	L111	Black
1982	4908.4	L111	Black
1982	4909.4	L950	Black
1983	4919.4	L111	White
1983	4920.4	L270	White

Chauvy has also confirmed that high ranking Ferrari employees as well as drivers Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve were gifted the ref. 4870.4 with the dial color of their choice. A unique solid gold variant (ref 6023) was also created for Enzo Ferrari.

Longines has also been noted as the first Swiss company to receive the “Cavallino” trophy from Ferrari, which Enzo had personally presented to Longines representative Kaspar Arnet in 1982.

1983 also marked the announcement of the Ferrari Formula line by Cartier, which was launched in the following year.While the details of the 1983 extension between Ferrari and Longines are not well documented, the updated agreement likely accommodated the Cartier models.

Both watch brands ran Ferrari-themed print ads between 1984 and 1989. In instances such as in issues 93, 95, and 96 of Grand Prix International from 1985, both have appeared inside the same magazine.

Renault

Longines also had a partnership with Team Renault during the same time, starting from the 1981 San Marino Grand Prix through the end of 1985. Chauvy has confirmed that no Renault-branded watches were ever produced, due to their concurrent contract with Ferrari.

Team ATS

Longines branding has also appeared on the ATS D5 during the 1982 Formula 1 season, although some photos of the car have also showed an absence of the Longines logo.

Based on period photographs, Longines appeared to have a more consistent presence on the ATS D6 in 1983 and the ATS D7 in 1984.

Details surrounding a partnership between Longines and Team ATS are not well documented.

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Timekeeper Role?

While details remain limited, Longines also appeared to serve some form of timekeeping role in 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 also worth noting that a 2003 article on Crash.net supports this possibility, which included a statement that the Swatch Group “have provided the timekeeping facilities for the MotoGP World Championship since 1992”.

Pedro Diniz

Brazilian former Formula 1 driver Pedro Diniz was announced as a global brand ambassador for Longines in 1999. According to an announcement from the April 1999 issue of Diário da Manhã (page 34), Diniz was chosen to participate in the brand’s “Elegance is Attitude” campaign. The Brazilian driver has subsequently appeared in at least one Longines ad.