Longines has announced the renewal of its partnership with the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) until 2008 as their official timekeeper. This collaboration dates back to 1989. It is in perfect harmony with the values of the brand and Longines’ long history of sports’ timekeeping.

More than a century of gymnastics expertise

Ever since the firm was founded in 1832, Longines has paid special attention to elegance. Through more than a century of collaboration notably with leading sportsmen and women, the brand has acquired an international reputation for its precision, reliability and know-how. While closely following the athletes’ performances but not forgetting the technical aspects and the elegance that surpasses them, Longines succeeded in establishing a privileged relationship with the world of sport. And as a result, the brand has been official timekeeper for several winter and summer Olympics as well as for many major international and continental competitions.


A handshake between Walter von Känel, President of Longines, and Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG; seals the continuation of their collaboration.

Longines chose to become involved in gymnastics because this discipline combines strength, endurance, technique, precision and grace – values which reflect perfectly the creativity and craftsmanship demonstrated by the brand’s watchmakers in the watches they produce. Gymnastics is practised on every continent, a fact that also echoes the international path chosen by Longines right from its inception.


Walter von Känel, President of Longines, and Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG sign the new contract.

Longines’ track record in gymnastics

In 1889 Longines produced the first pocket chronograph, the 19CH calibre, which measured to 1/5 of a second and had a 30-minute totalizer. Similar chronographs, provided by Longines, were used during the first Olympic Games of modern times, namely in Athens (Greece) in 1896.
As official timekeeper for the Swiss Federal Gymnastics Meet in Basel (Switzerland) in 1912 Longines achieved a world first in the history of sport: automatic timing based on the principle of a broken-wire for the 80-metre dash. This automatic system marked a turning point in Longines’ increasingly close association with the world of sport.

In collaboration with the International Gymnastics Federation, Longines launched the Longines Prize for Elegance during the 21st Individual World Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Berlin (Germany) in 1997. The following year the brand presented its ambassador of elegance, Svetlana Khorkina, the only gymnast to win the individual multiple competition at the world championships for three consecutive years. In 1999 Longines presented a new ambassador of elegance, the Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva, at the 15th European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics, held in Budapest (Hungary), where the brand was partner and official timekeeper.

In 2005 Longines signed a partnership agreement with the Russian men’s artistic gymnastics team, which wore the logo of the Swiss watch brand alongside the Chinese men’s artistic gymnastics team, which had already been sponsored by Longines since 2004. The brand also presented its three new ambassadors of elegance in the form of the highly talented young gymnasts Dinara Gimatova (Azerbaidjan), Olga Kapranova (Russia) and Aliya Yussupova (Kazakhstan). Finally, in 2006, Longines introduced Monette Russo from Australia and Nastia Liukin from the USA – two gymnasts who embody the values upheld by the brand in the field of artistic gymnastics.


Olga Kapranova Longines’ Ambassadress of Elegance at the 27th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships 2005 in Baku (Azerbaijan).

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and Longines

On the strength of its pioneering experience in sports timing, Longines was chosen in 1989 by the FIG as official timekeeper for all its artistic and rhythmic gymnastics competitions (world championships, continental championships, other major competitions, Olympic games, etc.). In accordance with the fruitful relationship that has resulted from this prestigious partnership, Longines is proud to announce that its agreement with the FIG has been renewed and will continue until 2008.

****

Longines is a member of the Swatch Group Ltd, the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of watches, with no fewer than 156 production plants in Switzerland.

Source: Longines

www.longines.com

Contact: [email protected]
(Please credit europastar.com)