Univeral Exhibition and first shaped watches.
1900s: Universal Exhibition in Paris
When watches gradually migrated from waistcoat to wrist, Longines was in 1905 the first to turn out wristwatches by largely mechanical means. This innovation marked the start of a complete reorganization of the Longines' factory working and production methods during the 1920s and 1930s.
Longines entered the world of gymnastics at the 1912 Swiss Federal Gymnastics Meet in Basel, Switzerland. The partnership resulted in a world's premiere: the introduction of automatic timing. Longines used an electromechanical system with start and finish tapes, fielded for the first time for the 80-meter dash. It marked a turning point in Longines' increasingly close cooperation with the world of gymnastics.
Pressing market demand with respect to both technology and styling drove watchmakers at Longines to design caliber L21.59. After the first Longines watch's 1867 bronze medal, in 1900 Longines caliber 21.59 won a Grand Prix at the Universal Exhibition in Paris with a one-of-a-kind creation called La Renommée, in 18K gold.
The first wristwatches
When watches gradually migrated from waistcoat to wrist, Longines was in 1905 the first to turn out wristwatches by largely mechanical means. This innovation marked the start of a complete reorganization of the Longines' factory working and production methods during the 1920s and 1930s.
1910s: The first shaped watchesAs early as 1912, Longines watches began to lose their round silhouette, the better to explore, and exploit, the geometry of elegance. Truly revolutionary for the period, Longines' rectangular and square-shaped models marked the start of a century of Longines design. Style followed style in any number of variations as taste turned into trend and trend into fashion, made possible by ever finer craftsmanship and sophisticated technology
Longines and gymnastics
Longines entered the world of gymnastics at the 1912 Swiss Federal Gymnastics Meet in Basel, Switzerland. The partnership resulted in a world's premiere: the introduction of automatic timing. Longines used an electromechanical system with start and finish tapes, fielded for the first time for the 80-meter dash. It marked a turning point in Longines' increasingly close cooperation with the world of gymnastics.
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