BY NIKHIL KURMALA
There is no question that Longines is a watchmaking brand with a strong tradition. This is something that cannot be improvised and is only the inevitable result of a rich and enduring history. This lasting history has helped elevate the brand to the pinnacle of watchmaking and is now crystallised with the production of the 50,000,000th Longines watch. It is hard for anyone to contextualise the number 50 million. Yes, it’s a 50 that is followed by six zeros but to produce more than 50 million watches goes beyond numbers. To understand this, lets break it down further. To produce 50 million watches over a span of 185 years, an average of 27 thousand watches must be made in a year, 520 in a week, 74 in a day… You get the point- it’s a massive accomplishment and a testament to the brand’s heritage and longevity, showcasing the brand’s tenacity, quality, and endurance over the years during the recessions, the quartz crisis etc.
From its very beginnings, Longines has been numbering its watches. Every timepiece has its own unique serial number with the initially number being recorded in the workshop books during the 1970s, before the advent of the digital age. All watches can hence be identified down the decades giving them their own individual identity. To preserve this historical legacy, Longines benefits from a one-of-a-kind database, the Longines Electronic Archives (LEA), which bring together all the existing archives concerning each serial number.
The 50 millionth watch is an annual calendar coming in with a 40mm classic and elegant rose gold case. Powered by the new Longines L897 automatic calibre, the watch boasts a long 64-hour power reserve. The hours, minutes and seconds are indicated by blued-steel hands against a silvered dial stamped with a barleycorn motif. To top it all off, the exhibition caseback is in scripted with the words “50 Million” and the Longines logo marking a truly special timepiece.
This lasting history has helped elevate the brand to the pinnacle of watchmaking and is now crystallised with the production of the 50,000,000th Longines watch. The price of the Longines timepiece, well, its priceless. This is why the timepiece will be rightfully added to the Longines Museum’s considerable historical collection, housed within the company’s walls in Saint-Imier (Switzerland). Visit Longines here.
