Feature: Longines And Omega - From Arch Rivals To Frenemies
Two of the oldest and best-loved watch brands around, Longines and Omega are names that inspire trust, admiration and respect in aficionados everywhere. Frankly, if they were humans you’d make them godparents to your children.
Flick through the pages of a glossy lifestyle mag, watch a sporting event on TV or scroll through the latest pre-owned watches on Watchfinder and sooner or later you’ll spot those two oh-so-familiar logos: Omega’s upper-case letter nicked from the Greek alphabet and Longines’ winged hour glass—which also happens to be the world’s oldest trademark.
Longines have a huge sporting presence, especially in the equestrian field
They’ve been constants on the horological landscape since Queen Victoria’s royal rump sat on the throne, and they’re still thriving today. Yet these veterans, founded just 16 years apart—Longines came first in 1832—have frequently found themselves pitted against each other, with both experiencing the highs of sublime innovation and the lows of technological inertia.
For several decades these two proud brands jockeyed for the top spots in the watch-making league table. It was a fascinating rivalry that culminated in them being acquired by the same company–housemates living in harmony, yet still eyeballing each other warily across the crowded room.
‘The Long Meadows’
Longines, founded by watchmaker Auguste Agassiz in 1832, was initially called Raiguel Jeune & Cie, named after one of his business partners, Henri Raiguel. It changed its name to Longines in 1867, named after Le Longines (or ‘the long meadows’), the area in which one of their factory buildings stood.
With the wristwatch still several decades away, Longines, which by the late 1850s had passed into the hands of Agassiz’s younger nephew, made quality pocket watches. It was an innovator from early on, adopting US-style modern production methods that dispensed with the old ‘etablissage’ system whereby home-based workers specialised in individual components and sold them on to the watchmakers for assembly.
It was also among the first to bring the entire process under one roof. It helped change Swiss watchmaking irrevocably and enabled it to compete with the Americans who by the end of the 19th century were pumping out watches at a formidable rate.
Enter Omega
Omega emerged in 1848 in the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds just a few miles south-west of Longines’ St Imier base. Founded by Louis Brandt and initially called Le Generale Watch Co, it didn’t actually take on the name Omega until 1894 when Brandt’s banker is said to have suggested it.
Like Longines, Omega was quick to adapt to modern production methods and by the early 20th century its workforce of 800 was making 240,000 watches a year.
An early Omega chronograph from 1913
And then came the First World War, which saw Omega become the watch supplier of choice for Great Britain’s Ministry of Defence. Accurate timepieces—both wrist watches and pocket watches—were vital for commanding officers who could work out the distance between themselves and the enemy by timing the difference between the flash and sound of gunfire.
It was a major coup for Omega—a golden opportunity to establish itself as a serious player. Longines, like the lush meadows it was named after, must have been green with envy.
Omega Strikes Again
For the Second World War, Britain’s military again turned to Omega for its timepieces. In fact, Omega delivered more than 110,000 pilots’, navigators’ and soldiers’ watches to Great Britain’s MoD to support its Air Force and Navy pilots during service.
Incredibly, this means that more than half of all of Switzerland’s watch exports to the United Kingdom during the war came from Omega, with several other brands sharing the remaining half.
One of these was Longines, which, along with Omega, helped make up the famous ‘Dirty Dozen’.
Named retrospectively after the 1967 epic war movie, these watches were made by just twelve watch companies to exacting MoD guidelines, including shatter-proof crystals and black dials with luminous Arabic numerals.
Chronograph Masters
Longines may have played a less prominent role than Omega in the war years—and it may well have been disgruntled at being overlooked by the British MoD when it was the older, more established brand—but it was still a golden era for the company in many ways.
Longines had already established its chronograph clout in the late 19th century and was known for being the timepiece of choice for equestrian and other sports, a role it still enjoys today. By the 1930s, Longines’ chronographs were highly respected instruments that were beautifully designed.
A Longines single-button chronograph from the 1930s. Image courtesy of Bonhams
The brand was very much at the vanguard of chronograph innovation, playing a key role in everything from optimizing column wheel control to the shift from single pusher to double pusher mechanisms. Today, any Longines chronographs that run on its 13ZN or 30 CH calibres are highly sought after.
Longines was also a big favourite with aviators. Its Lindbergh Hour Angle watch, which allowed pilots to determine longitude by a graduated ring around its dial, was the 1931 brainchild of the celebrated pilot Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly non-stop between New York and Paris. Therefore, you’d think that when it came to sending a watch to space, it would be in prime position.
Not quite…
Opportunity Knocks
When NASA was seeking a chronograph for its astronauts to wear on space missions, Longines was very much in the mix. Unfortunately, so was Rolex and Omega, the latter piping up again to thwart its older rival.
The Omega Speedmaster was selected by NASA, meaning Longines and Rolex lost out
During testing, the crystal of the Longines model warped and detached during the high temperature and decompression tests, whereas the Omega waivered in timing but stayed intact. Ironically for a brand with expertise in chronograph development dating back to 1868, it failed in the lucrative race for the Space Chronograph.
It was a loss that would come back to haunt it.
Choosing 'Top Dog'
The Quartz crisis looked gloomy for all mechanical watch brands, not just Omega and Longines. Both brands jumped on the battery bandwagon but the pendulum of progress had very much swung in Japan’s favour. There was even talk at one point of Seiko purchasing Omega.
Ultimately, though, when the dust had settled, both Omega and Longines were swallowed up by what is now known as the Swatch Group.
Other brands also came under the Swatch Group umbrella, such as Blancpain, Tissot and Breguet. But Omega and Longines were the most prominent and boasted the illustrious heritage. And Swatch Group CEO Nicholas Hayek had the problem of choosing which of them was going to be the top dog.
The Lindbergh Hour Angle was a useful navigational instrument
It can’t have been an easy decision. Yes, Omega had been to the moon, but Longines had its own impressive milestones and a substantial back catalogue of calibres and designs. Neil Armstrong may well have worn an Omega, but the world’s most famous genius, Albert Einstein, had worn a Longines, as did the record-breaking pilot, Lindbergh. Plus, it boasted the world’s oldest logo.
James Bond With A Longines?
In the end, Hayek plumped for Omega. After all, going to the moon takes some beating—that and the fact that Omega was simply easier to pronounce. Also, Longines—‘lawn-jeen’—sounded… well, perhaps a little too French.
Had Hayek gone with Longines, the watch industry might look a little different today. James Bond might be wearing a Longines Legend Diver, powered by George Daniels’ Co-axial escapement. The Omega Speedmaster might be part of a wallet-friendly heritage range with an ETA movement. And you’d be able to pick up a vintage Ranchero on eBay for a couple of hundred quid.
Instead, Omega continues to align itself price-wise with Rolex watches, while Longines remains remarkably affordable, allowing us to buy a piece of true watch-making heritage without going bankrupt in the process. An honourable second place.
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