Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A. was founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz, and is based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Agassiz initially had two partners, Florian Morel and Henri Raiguel, who both retired from the watch industry by 1846. Longines’ flying hourglass logo is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with WIPO.
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, Glashütte Original, Hamilton, Omega, Rado, and Tissot.
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 brands like Zenith, Vetta, Super Royal, and Longines. By the 1960s, brands such as Rewel, Lemania, and Girard-Perregaux were used.
Official Timekeeper of Formula One and Team Sponsorships
In the early 1980s, Longines bought Heuer’s ACIT (Automatic Car Identification Techhnology) system and became the Official Timekeeper of Formula One in 1982 along with Italian computer manufacturer Olivetti. The two companies retained the role until TAG Heuer took over in 1992.
Scuderia Ferrari
Longines was also a sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari from 1980 to 1987, during which time a number of Longines Ferrari watches were produced. At least one example resides in the Musée Longines in Saint-Imier, Switzerland.
Renault
The Swiss watch brand also had a partnership with Team Renault during the same time from 1981 to 1985.
Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Sponsorship?
While details remain unclear, Longines appeared to serve as the official timekeeper of Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing from 1990 to 1994. This included physical signage at Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing events, as well as a digital logo appearing below the leader board graphics during TV broadcasts of certain rounds. The Olivetti logo has also notably appeared up until the 1991 season, which appears to coincide with their F1 official timekeeping role.
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 and Olivetti branding also appears to have been present at the 1988 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix, which took place at Imola.
References
https://www.fadfor.com/longines-museum-quest-journey-longines-sports/
https://www.grandprix.com/sponsors/longines.html
https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/a1973631/prancing-horses-and-sweeping-hands-history-ferrari-watch/
https://timeandtidewatches.com/ferrari-watch-collaborations/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0lRXh-4324
https://www.esquire.com/uk/watches/a33819319/hublot-ferrari-gt/
https://www.watchesandculture.org/forum/en/watch-brands-and-formula-1/
https://monochrome-watches.com/watches-formula-1-episode-1-history-rolex-official-timekeeper/
https://www.longines.com/en-us/magazine/pioneer-spirits/timing-formula-one
https://www.longines.com/en-us/magazine/pioneer-spirits/timing-ferrari-with-longines/
https://www.longines.com/en-us/magazine/pioneer-spirits/racing-with-renault/
https://magazine.tagheuer.com/en/2024/06/28/tag-heuer-a-long-history-of-performance-on-the-tracks/
https://youtu.be/oAbjOmKG_xk?si=nQ2DZKZzJdetvSMg&t=161
https://www.facebook.com/LonginesZA/posts/1324387397608406/