Welcome to my Top Swiss Chronographs Boutique! Longines established its first factory in Switzerland in 1897, but we can trace its roots back to 1832, when Auguste Agassiz founded the company in 1832 in Saint-Imier. The company was originally called Agassiz & Co. In 1852, Ernest Francillon, Agassiz's nephew, joined and took over the company. In 1867, Ernest Francillon built a factory for watch production on a site known as Les Longines; it was at this time that the company took on the new name "Longines." The name was officially registered in 1880. Francillon patented the Longines trademark, a winged hourglass symbol, in 1889, although the symbol had been in use since as early as 1867. Longines began using slogan "Elegance is an Attitude" in 1999. Their previous slogan, "The World's Most Honored Watch" was used for most of the 20th century. Since its beginning, the story of Longines is characterized by a pioneering spirit, a quest for precision and a timeless vision of elegance (according to Longines own intro). Through all the years, the company developed new technologies in timekeeping and watch design and began forming a reputation as timekeepers for various competitions. Longines supplied watches for the Olympics in 1896. In 1916, they began developing shaped watches. In 1919, Longines became the supplier for the International Aeronautical Foundation. Longines patented their Weems Second Setting Watch in 1935; the watch had been designed by the company in collaboration with Philip Von Horn Weems, for use by navigators in the Navy years prior. In 1945, Longines patented its first self-winding movement (calibre 22A). Over the years, Longines was designing watches for Observatory competitions, including their first Quartz Clock (1952) and the 360 (1959). They also developed a number of electronic and quartz technologies, and in 1967 launched their first cybernetic quartz calibre, in the Ultra-Quartz wrist watch. In 1972, the company produced it first digital watch, the Longines LCD. The company started creating their ultra thin watches in 1979. Longines became the official timekeeper for the F1 races beginning in 1982, following their partnership with Renault. The company joined what is now called the The Swatch Group in 1983. The International Federation of Gymnast made Longines its official time keepers in 1985. The Longines Museum, located in Saint-Imier, opened in 1992. They became partners and official time keepers for the International Equestrian Federation in 2013, though prior to this they had been the time keepers for many horse races. Longines partnered with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities the same year. In 2015, Longines launched new timekeeping technology for horse races with the Longines Positioning System (LPS). Movement: - automatic caliber L688.2 - column wheel chronograph - base: ETA A08.L01 - power-reserve: 54 hours - 27 jewels - frequency: 28.800vph Case: - stainless-steel, polished - 41mm excl. crown, 43,8mm incl. - thickness: 14,4mm - 50mm from lug to lug - unique watch number 4*****4 (for buyer only), best proof of authenticity Bezel: - fixed, polished stainless steel Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective Crown: - polished stainless steel - push/pill with logo Dial: - black, vertical guilloché - looks blue on some pics due to anti-reflective coating - polished luminous hands and hour markers - date at 04:30 o'clock - three chronograph sub-dials: 30 min. counter at 03:00 o'clock 12 hours at 06:00 o'clock running seconds at 09:00 o'clock - chronograph central second hand - polished 12 numeral The real dial color and beautiful vertical guilloché structure is relatively clearly visible in the photographs taken at the stand (there are three of them to find) Case-back: see-through, sapphire Strap: - brand new black leather, Louisiana alligator grain on cow - length: 20,5cm incl. wristwatch itself - width: 20mm by lugs, 18mm by clasp - let me know if 20cm is too short for you, I'll replace the strap with longer version Clasp: - double-folding 'butterfly' - polished stainless steel - two security pushers and logo Weight: 104 grams Water-resistant 50meters/5ATM/165feet, not suitable for swimming and diving. Distinctive design. High recognition level. Longines watch box, manual instruction book, full set. Distributor's stock: the card is not stamped. Excellent condition, never worn; the wristwatch comes from luxury watch-shop showcase; that's why the strap is replaced with brand new one: leather straps suffer always from temperature in shop windows due to powerful spotlights. General professional pre-sale service was made in June 2024: the watch is keeping good time and working perfectly. My personal authenticity and quality warranty: you will get warranty card (as pictured), fully completed and signed on the back. Insured, registered shipping worldwide. Everything you see in my pics is included in the package that you'll receive. NO EXTRA COSTS for EU Buyers! Important info: I’m away for short vacation, will ship your watch on 02/07.