Longines is a luxury watch company founded by Ernest Francillon at Saint -Imier, Switzerland. Its origins can be traced back to the 1830s and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company - a winged hourglass. Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.

The Longines story, however, is more than its trademark. It is about brand building by continually innovating and creating unique designs; and about business acumen in using the intellectual property system to protect and market the product. The company reports some 160 patents for new watch movements and technical innovations.

Production of the first Longines movement began in 1867 and from then on followed international acclaim. Longines always placed a premium on innovation. Watches used to be wound by means of a key. Longines invented the now ubiquitous, integrated crown mechanism for winding and setting the time when the company produced its first watch at Les Longines.

Over the years they became renowned through high-profile aviators like Charles A. Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart whose flying records were timed by Longines.   In 1979 the Longines "Feuille d'Or" model became the world's thinnest watch, measuring only 1.98 mm. The secret: a quartz movement totally integrated into the case.

In 1984, the company claimed another innovation with the VHP (Very High Precision) movement – a system of thermo-compensation, five to ten times more precise than quartz watches. In 2001 Longines celebrated their 30 millionth watch. Longines watches signify luxury combined with precision.