10973 - Longines - Watches that made history

NEW (2026) - WATCHES THAT MADE HISTORY

This illustrated volume is an emotional journey that will transform the way you see the art of watchmaking. Discover the fascinating history of one of the world's most prestigious watchmakers.

In 50 chapters, the stories of remarkable Longines timepieces come to life, told alongside those of their original owners, including aviation pioneers Jackie Cochran and Charles Lindbergh, boxing champion Joe Louis, physicist Albert Einstein and film icon Yves Montand. Because every watch not only keeps time, but it also keeps the personal stories of those who have worn it.

Table of Contents :

Introduction

Chap. I POCKET WATCHES & STOPWATCHES
- Savonnette Caliber AAA (An Early Longines—and a Clear Vision | Jacques David | 1867)
- Pocket Watch with Dual Time Zones (Two Time Concepts United on a Single Dial | Orient Express | 1910)
- Lépine Railroad Pocket Watch (Why Accurate Time Was Essential for Trains | Railroad watches | 1922)
- High-Frequency Split-Second Stopwatch (A High-Timepiece for the Best Sprinters | Senon Baldy Castillo | 1955)
- High-Frequency Split-Second Chronograph (The Timekeeper for Formula 1 | Jean Campiche | 1971)

Chap. II WRISTWATCHES
- Zulu Time with Two Time Zones (Two Time Zones for High Seas Radio Operators | Ship's radio room | 1925)
- Men's Gold Wristwatch, Tonneau-Shaped (Einstein's Gold Longines and the Mysterious Spy | Albert Einstein | 1929)
- Men's Gold Wristwatch, Oversized (The Watch That Took Thousands of Pulses | Dr. György Lenart | 1940)
- Automatic Prototype (Quiet Efficiency: The Self-Winding Mechanism | Longines atelier | 1945)
- Automatic Watch in Gold Ref. 6063 (Automatic with Fine Stern Frères Dial | Historical advertisement | 1949)
- Conquest Automatic Gold Ref. 9001 (Wes Moreland and His Conquest | Wes Moreland | 1955)

Chap. III CHRONOGRAPHS - Wrist Chronograph (The First Chronograph Worn by Pilots | Russian aviation pioneers | 1911)
- Flyback Chronograph 15' (The Creation of the Flyback Chronograph | Patent specification | 1934/35)
- Flyback Chronograph 13.33Z (Milestone on the Way to the Flyback Chrono | Seaplane | 1934/35)
- Flyback Chrono Mushroom Pusher Ref. 4270 (Waterproof Precision for Sports and Aviation | Historical catalog | 1942)
- Flyback Chronograph Tre Tacche Ref. 4974 (Mushroom Pusher to Protect from Water | Historical advertisement | 1940)
- Chronograph Ref. 4813 (Ready for the Slopes and Snow | Historical advertisement | 1942)
- Flyback Chronograph Ref. 5415 (Race Car Driver with a Flyback Chronograph | Fred Agabashian | 1947)
- Chronograph Sommatore Ref. 5699 (Flight of the Century: Louis vs. Schmeling | 1945)
- Chronograph Sommatore Ref. 5699 (The Aviator Daredevil and His Chronograph | Thur Schmidt | 1948)
- Flyback Chronograph Ref. 6592 (Timekeeping at Minus 40 Degrees Fahrenheit | Swedish rally | 1958)
- Nonius Chronograph Ref. 8271 (On the Test Driver's Wrist for over 50 Years | Valentino Balboni | 1970)

Chap. IV AVIATION & NAVIGATION - Weems Sidereal Time (The Pilot Who Explored Antarctica | Richard Byrd | 1933)
- Weems Sidereal Time (A Determined Heroine of the Skies | Amy Johnson | 1937)
- Lindbergh Hour Angle Prototype (Lindbergh's Celestial Navigation Instrument | Charles & Anne Lindbergh | 1931)
- Cockpit Clock with Dual Time Zone Display (Cockpit Clock on First Pacific Nonstop Flight | C. Pangborn / H. Herndon | 1929)
- Cockpit Clock Chronograph (A New View of the World from Above | Walter Mittelholzer | 1930)
- Pilot's Watch with Rotating Inner Ring (The Twist with the Triangle | Patent display | 1935)
- Pilot's Watch for Poland, Oversized (A Race Against Time: Polish Pilot's Watches | 1938)
- Weems New Second Setting Watch (The Star of the Skies and Her Pilot's Watch | Jackie Cochran | 1937)
- Stop-Second Flyback (A Pilot's Watch for the World's First Airline | Historical KLM poster | 1947)
- Chronometer for Swissair (How Swissair Navigated the Skies | Navigator Harry Hoffmann | 1954)

Chap. V MILITARY TIMEPIECES - Trench Watch (In Her Majesty's Secret Service | James Troup | 1933)
- Black Weems Ref. 3796 (A Rare Beauty for Czech Pilots | Aircraft Avia 51 | 1936)
- Weems Second Setting Watch Ref. 4036 (The Navy Admiral and His Longines Weems | Admiral Marc Mitscher | 1937)
- Pilot's Chronograph Ref. 3811 (Pilot's Chronograph with Rotating Bezel | Aircraft Bellanca 28-92 | 1937)
- Serbian Ref. 2326 (The Watch Given in Royal Appreciation | Milan T. Stefanovitch | 1939)
- Tre Tacche Multistep Ref. 4047 (Three Notches for Lieutenant Gibbins | Victor H. N. Gibbins | 1939)
- AM 6B/159 Ref. 4830 (Standard Issue for the Royal Air Force | Stanley Turner | 1941)
- C.O.S.D. 2340 (A Tool Watch for the Special Forces Mission | Experimental Diving Unit | 1945)
- Military L. O1 Ref. 5193 (Sandstorms, Jungles, and Secret Missions | Special Air Service | 1944)
- Pilot's Watch Majetek Ref. 3582 (Freedom Fighters with a Unique Pilot's Watch | Pilot Bohuslav Kimli?ka | 1937/1948)
- Pilot's Watch Big Indian Ref. 6111 (The Big Indian for the Flight to Independence | Indian Air Force | 1950)
- Marine Nationale Ref. 5774 (A Longines for the French Navy | Marine Nationale magazine | 1947)

Chap. VI DIVE WATCHES - Nautilus Skin Diver Ref. 6921 (Underwater Precision Plus Adjustable Band | Historical catalog | 1959)
- Super Compressor Diver's Watch Ref. 7042 (The Diver's Watch with Twin Crowns | Recreational diving | 1959)
- Ultra-Chron Skin Diver Ref. 7970 (Diving Deep with High Frequency | Historical advertisement | 1967/68)

Chap. VII OBSERVATORY CHRONOMETERS & DESK CLOCKS
- Observatory Chronometers (Pursuing Records with Observatory Watches | Historical advertisement | 1947)
- Observatory Chronometer Caliber 360 (A Watch Accurate to 0.03 Seconds a Day | Frank Vaucher | 1960)
- Digital Clock B21 Nixie (Glowing Digits at the Dawn of the Space Age | Kitzbühel downhill racing | 1969)

Index of Names

Photo Credits

Sources

Acknowledgements/About the Authors

288 pages

Edition : 2026