The Swiss watch brand Longines got its start in 1832 when Auguste Agassiz and his partners set up shop in Saint-Imier. A few years later, Agassiz brought his nephew, Ernest Francillon, on board and the young man proved to be an innovator with a firm understanding of finances due to his training as an economist. It was Francillon who embraced mass production with the factory he built in Les Longines, a place that would inspire the long-term brand name.
Under his leadership, the company began to produce award-winning in-house movements with a number of complications and a reputation for reliability. The winged hourglass brand found its calling for pilot’s watches in the 1920s and ’30s with collaborations that included the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh and astronavigation expert Philip Van Horn Weems. The aviation tool watches produced by
