Founded in 1867, Longines became the world’s first watch trademark and the first Swiss company to assemble watches under one roof. In 1877, Longines won the first of its 10 World’s Fair grand prizes and 28 gold medals, and it was the beginning of Longines’ rightful claim to the title of “The World’s Most Honored Watch”. In 1899, the Duke of Abbruzi completed a successful Artic Ocean expedition with Longines chronometers used as instrumentation. In 1927, Colonel Charles Lindbergh completed the first non-stop solo flight from New York to Paris using a Longines watch for time and instrumentation. From 1928 through 1938, the likes of Admiral Byrd, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Von Schiller (captain of the “Graf Zeppelin”), and other adventurers placed their trust in Longines watches. In 1953, Longines developed the first quartz movement. Stainless steel automatics from the 1950s and 1960s are highly collectible, as are the early Longines wristwatches from the 1910s and 1920s.
