Longines Sponsors Dublin Horse Show 2022
Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Dublin Horse Show 2022
The Dublin Horse Show takes place from 17th-21st August in the RDS. The Show is packed with five days of action, from the pageantry of the Opening day on Wednesday 17th to Ladies Day on Thursday 18th and the Nations Cup and the Aga Khan Trophy on Friday 19th to the much-loved Puissance on Saturday 20th. On Sunday the 21st of August, the Longines Grand Prix of Ireland will take place. The Longines Grand Prix of Ireland is one of 130 competitions taking over five days. In recognition of the standing that the show has in the world of show jumping, it has the largest prize fund in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Series.
The official watch of the Dublin Horse Show this year is the Longines DolceVita X YVY L5.255.0.71.B. Longines has revisited the models in its famous rectangular collection ad created the new Longines DolceVita X YVY line. Its leather straps are the creation of Swiss designer Yvonne Reichmuth, founder of the company YVY. Measuring 20.80 mm x 32.00 mm with a thickness of 6.90 mm, this smaller stainless-steel case, which is suited to women’s wrists, is set with 46 Top Wesselton IF-VVS diamonds, for a total of 0.386 carats. It houses a quartz calibre. The brown main strap matches the silver “flinqué” dial decorated with painted Roman numerals. By playing with the different shades of leather, the straps are suitable for different moods of the wearer at any event of the day thanks to the interchangeability strap system. The thin strap can also be worn on its own as an accessory.
If you are interested in this Longines DolceVita model, ordering queries can be made through our Watch Department.
Longines is one of the World’s oldest luxury watch manufacturers, still in operation today. Renowned for its elegance and performance. It is undeniably a brand with a long and prosperous history, as it stands as one of the innovators of Swiss horological tradition. For over 180 years, they have committed to revolutionising the industry, whilst priding themselves in preserving their longstanding heritage. With the winged hourglass as its emblem, the brand is known in over 150 countries today.
The Beginning of Longines
The story of Longines watches began in 1832 in Saint Imier, Switzerland when Auguste Agassiz and two other partners established Raiguel Jeune & Cie. Watchmaking before it was industrialised, was very different to how it is now. The company itself served as a middleman between the watchmaker and customers. Individual families at home would make the separate parts which would then be given to the company, who in turn would forward them to the watchmakers to assemble the timepiece. Once the timepiece was fully assembled it would return to the company for sale. In 1847, Agassiz became head of the company, bringing great success overseas due to his connections in the USA.
Industrialisation of Watchmaking
Agassiz’s nephew Ernest Francillon joined the business in 1852 and by the mid-1860s Francillon had taken over the company. Francillon was ambitious and wanted to examine how the industrial revolution could be applied to watchmaking. He was inspired to open the very first Longines factory after travelling to the USA in 1867. It was opened in the Saint-Imier area known as Les Longines or “the long meadows”. It was from the location of their first factory that they adopted their new name Longines. In this same year, Longines produced their first in-house movement the 20A, which went on to win an award at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
Production within the Longines factory at this time was still manual. With the growth of the company, Jacques David was employed as a technical director. In 1876, Jacques David took a trip to Philadelphia for the Universal Exhibition. This inspired him to write a report about his experience in the USA. This report is said to have kick-started the move towards industrialising Swiss watchmaking.
The Evolution of Movements
Throughout its history, Longines has instigated many advancements in watchmaking. The company produced its first chronograph movement, the 20H, in 1878. The accuracy and precision of this movement is something that Longines pride itself on to this day. It was this accuracy that caused the brand to launch into the world of equestrian sport. It was during this time that Francillon decided to trademark the Longines brand, due to the popularity it was receiving. This is one of the oldest trademarks which is still in use today, and it has remained unchanged since 1889.
In 1927, Longines was once again pioneering new developments within the industry. They designed and created a series of navigational devices alongside a US Navy Officer. A moving disc was incorporated into the design, allowing the wearer to synchronise the second hand with a GMT signal. This resulted in the creation of the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch in 1931. This model helped to calculate a pilot’s exact geographical location. This aided in aviation becoming more accessible to the public.
In 1945, Longines launched its first movement, which was also the first time the new rotor winding mechanism was adapted for large-scale industrial production. The first quartz clock was produced in 1954, it was attached to a camera. Used during sporting events, it gave judges and referees a still image taken every 100th of a second, accurately monitoring athletes’ movements.
Longines and Sport
Since the late 1880s, Longines has been affiliated with all kinds of sports. This longstanding tradition is still evident today. Longines has been involved in equestrian sports since 1926. In January 2013, Longines signed the historic agreement with FEI that saw the brand become the first Top Partner as well as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the FEI. This partnership reinforces the traditional and long-lasting commitment of Longines to equestrian sports. Longines also provides its skilled timekeeping services and associates itself with top-level series and competitions like the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™.