Longines has been based in St Imier, Switzerland, since 1832 when Auguste Agassiz entered the world of watchmaking by establishing a partnership with a watchmaking counter in Saint-Imier and later took control of the company, renaming it “Agassiz & compagnie”.

In the 1850s, Ernest Francillon, a nephew of Agassiz, took over the management and grouped the different operations involved in the finalisation of timepieces together in one factory, using mechanical production methods to assemble and finish complete watches. The land he purchased to build his factory in St. Imier was called “Les Longines”.

Longines president Walter von Känel has worked at the brand since 1969 and has led the company, which is today part of the Swatch Group, since 1988. The Longines Master collection for gentlemen and the Longines Dolce Vita collection for ladies are two of the brand’s flagship watch collections.