Longines has been a pioneer in the Swiss industry since its founding in Saint-Imier by Auguste Agassiz in 1832. Agassiz and his watchmaking partners started their business making pocket watches with crown wheel escapements, which is the earliest known mechanism that allows the gears to progress at regular intervals (essentially, the “tick”) similar to the type of mechanism that powers modern automatic Swiss timepieces.
The current President of Longines, Walter von Känel, shares the company’s passion for watchmaking and began as a sales executive for Longines in 1969 before becoming President in 1988. Since 1945, Von Känel spent his childhood residing at the top of the Saint-Imier Valley, the heart of Swiss watchmaking and birthplace of Longines. He expressed his passion for watchmaking from a young age:
“When I was a boy, the great Longines company in the foothills of Saint-Imier, where most of the people of our region worked, always impressed me, and I was convinced that one day, I would work there. Already at the time, watchmaking was the thriving force of our region, and I knew that it would enable me to discover the world.”
– Walter von Känel, President
Today the company produces many sports timepieces used in equestrianism, gymnastics, speed skating, archery, and tennis, embodying the Longines core values of precision and sophistication.
Longines has international celebrity ambassadors ranging from professional athletes to esteemed actors. Academy-Award winning actress Kate Winslet is a Longines “Ambassador of Elegance,” pictured below wearing the Longines DolceVita L5.255.0.71.6.
Longines Ambassador Kate Winslet
The Longines DolceVita Collection offers elegant luxury timepieces in men’s, midsize, women’s, and women’s mini styles. Dolce Vita is Italian for “sweet life” and is the perfect name for such a sophisticated collection. The timepiece Winslet is wearing is from the Longines DolceVita Women’s Collection.
Winslet wears the Longines DolceVita L5.255.0.71.6, which features a battery-operated quartz movement with an end-of-life indicator that alerts the user when the battery needs to be replaced. This stunning model sports 46 diamonds set on a polished stainless steel case, and is affixed to a polished stainless steel bracelet. The rectangular case dimensions are 20.5mm x 32mm, making this watch an excellent choice for a woman in the market for a unique timepiece; the sleek case sits delicately on the wrist, leaving room to accessorize with other jewelry. This simple and elegant watch has a silver dial with Roman numerals; the hour and minute hands are steel blue, and a small subdial that displays the second hand at the 6 o’clock position.
Winslet was invited to visit Longines in Saint-Imier in 2016 where she had the opportunity to view the production and assembly process of Longines timepieces first-hand.
Shop for your perfect Longines timepiece at www.AuthenticWatches.com; this timepiece worn by Winslet is in stock and available for immediate shipping here on our website.
Shop our Longines Specials to see popular in stock timepieces in both men’s and women’s styles.