1860s: The first Longines watch
In 1866, Francillon acquired two plots of land on the outskirts of Saint-Imier, on the right bank of the Suze river near a place called Les Longines (meaning “long and narrow fields “ in the dialectal French of the area). There he built the first Longines factory, an investment that finally allowed him to gather his entire workforce under one roof for the first time.
In 1867, Longines’ first movement, called L20A, entered production in the new premises. At the time, watches were all key-wound. Longines’ first watch broke with this tradition, its lever movement being wound and set by the crown. Ernest Francillon personally presented his novel timepiece at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris. He returned to Saint-Imier with a bronze medal.
Starting with his very first watch movement in 1867, Francillon’s entire production featured the engraving of a winged hourglass as identification. By 1874, the company had already sent out its first circular warning customers against counterfeit movements.
