From 11 to 13 July, six members of L'Orologio Club had the opportunity to cross the threshold of the Longines factory, which has been based in St. Imier since 1867, for the first time. The visit began with a presentation on the history of the Maison by the head of heritage, Daniel Hug, who emphasised not only the brand's ancient tradition, but also modern times, when the company, from 1954 onwards, played a leading role in sports timekeeping, from athletics to skiing and Formula 1.
The visit to the museum, where the clocks and memorabilia of the flight pioneers, whose lives were intertwined with the technical evolution of Longines instruments for air navigation, was exciting. Lhe testimonies of the adventures of Lindbergh and Weems are among the treasures that can be admired in the permanent collection, in addition to those of the aviatrix Amelia Earhart or dexplorer Paul-Emile Victor.
The presentation of the Maison's new models was also very exciting, including the much-appreciated wrist test that allowed our members to admire the Longines collections up close.
Another highlight was visiting the Heritage Workshop, where master watchmakers welcomed Club guests to show them the antique pieces they were working on. Vintage watches from all over the world arrive here: collectors can ask the House for an estimate and then decide whether or not to restore the watches. The workshop also looks after the maintenance of the museum specimens. The visit to Longines ended with the assembly departments, where the 30% from Longines' production is completed (the movements used by the company today are manufactured exclusively for Longines at the nearby ETA plant). All prototypes, small series and models made in gold are also made in the factory.
