The Complete Buying Guide to Longines Watches
From the Legend Diver to the Spirit and beyond.
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Longines is one of the nineteen watch manufacturers that comprise the massive Swatch Group. Located in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, the brand produces luxury watches with a modern internal inventory and part delivery system — it leverages its automation in conjunction with traditional watchmaking to produce nearly two million watches annually.
There are over 1,200 different models in the Longines catalog, though that number does take into account that every strap option or dial color variation results in a different SKU. This number of models available allows Longines to serve the diverse tastes of global markets — the brand achieves an enormous market presence by strategically positioning its watches at a price point within the Swatch Group below Omega and above Tissot.
Longines currently concentrates its sports sponsorships to alpine skiing, archery, and equestrian sports, with brand ambassadors such as Kate Winslet, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Andre Agassi. The combination of high-profile partnerships, the volume of luxury watches produced, and the winged hourglass logo make the Longines brand recognizable around the world.
Longines' History
The history of Longines starts long before a list of mergers leading to the Swatch Group. The Swiss watch manufacturer was founded in 1832, and their breakthrough in watchmaking came in 1878 through developing the first chronograph watch movement, the caliber H20. (The H20 features start, stop, and reset functions controlled by a single monopusher in the crown.) By 1886 Longines was supplying pocket watches with chronograph complications that could be used to time professional-level sporting events, which began their connection with equestrian sports.
Longines began the transition from pocket watches to wristwatches in 1913 with the 29mm reference 13.33Z, a chronograph. In 1919, just post-World War I, Longines was named the official watch supplier to the International Aeronautical Federation as aviation gained popularity. During World War II, the brand was one of twelve companies contracted by the British Ministry of Defense to manufacture the W.W.W. (Watch, Wrist, Waterproof) for British soldiers, which are collectively known today as the "Dirty Dozen." During these early decades of the 20th century, famous Longines wearers included theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, legendary actor Humphrey Bogart, and aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.
In the 1970s, Longines resisted manufacturing quartz watch movements and instead developed ultra-thin mechanical movements. These thin movements bridged the gap until Longines joined the Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d’Horlogerie (SMH) in 1983 — the conglomerate that would continue to evolve into the Swatch Group.
Longines maintains detailed numerical records by the serial number of every watch that they have produced, and owners can request “Certificate of Authenticity” and/or an “Extract from the Archives” for detailed information about their timepiece. (This process is detailed on the Longines website.) Interestingly, the brand's winged hourglass logo continues to be the oldest registered trademark in the world that is still being used for its original purpose.
Below, we've included a guide to each model line within the collection as well as several standout models.
