Ever wonder why some vintage watch dials bear both the Longines and Wittnauer names? It’s not a coincidence or a quirk – it’s the trace of a partnership that shaped over a century of watchmaking history. In the late 19th century, a young Swiss immigrant arrived in New York with a dream of bringing quality Swiss made watches to American wrists without the eye-watering price tag. His name was Albert Wittnauer, and his ambition sparked a lifelong connection with the famed Swiss watchmaker Longines. Together, these two names – one born in Switzerland, the other in the hustle of New York – would become inseparable in the story of Swiss horology in America. How did an American watch company and a Swiss luxury brand become so closely linked? Let’s wind back the clock and find out.
From Swiss Roots to American Dreamers
Albert Wittnauer was just 16 when he stepped off the boat in New York City in 1872, a Swiss kid with a big dream. He went to work for his brother-in-law, Eugène Robert, who ran a watch importing business bringing fine Swiss timepieces to the U.S. – notably Longines watches. Back then, owning a Swiss-made watch in America was a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Imported watches carried heavy taxes, driving prices sky-high. Albert saw an opportunity: What if he could offer Americans watches with Swiss quality, but at a more down-to-earth price?
He came up with a crafty solution. Instead of importing fully finished expensive watches, he would import the high-grade Swiss movements and parts, then assemble the watches in the United States. By doing so, he could dodge some of those steep tariffs and make the end product more affordable. In essence, Americans could get the best of both worlds – the precision of Swiss watchmakers and the value of local assembly. In 1880, Albert launched the first Wittnauer-branded watches following this model, and they were an instant hit. Imagine the thrill of getting a watch with Swiss pedigree without emptying your wallet – that was Wittnauer’s promise. By 1888, Albert had officially taken over Eugène Robert’s company and renamed it A. Wittnauer Co., cementing his family’s place in the watch business.
This clever approach laid the foundation for Wittnauer as an American brand with a Swiss soul. The company grew steadily into the early 20th century, proving that you could have your Swiss chocolate and eat it too – or rather, have your Swiss watch and actually afford it. It didn’t hurt that Wittnauer watches were well-made; they quickly earned a reputation for reliability among explorers and scientists who needed tough, accurate instruments. In other words, Wittnauer wasn’t just piggybacking off Swiss quality – it was delivering it. The stage was set, and a beautiful friendship with Longines was about to begin.
A Partnership Forged in Time: Longines and Wittnauer Connect
Even as Albert was finding his footing, Longines – a prestigious Swiss watchmaker founded back in 1832 – had its eyes on the vast American market. The two companies found their interests perfectly aligned. In 1880, Wittnauer became the exclusive sales agent for Longines in the United States, kicking off a partnership that would endure for an astonishing 114 years. Think about that: a business “marriage” that lasted over a century, longer than many actual marriages! By linking up with Wittnauer, Longines gained a powerful distribution ally stateside, and Wittnauer gained the cachet of representing one of Switzerland’s finest watch brands.
Vintage Advertisement – "The Longines-Wittnauer Family of Fine Watches": This mid-20th-century marketing piece highlights how the Longines-Wittnauer Company offered Americans a range of fine watches from four world-famous “family” brands – Longines, Vacheron & Constantin, LeCoultre, and its own Wittnauerline. It positioned Wittnauer as the “next best thing to Longines,” offering Swiss quality at a more accessible price. Such ads helped solidify the perception that these brands were closely connected, even as each maintained its unique identity.
From early on, A. Wittnauer Co. wasn’t just pushing its own watches; it was a major importer of Swiss watchmakers’ products for the U.S. market. Besides Longines, Wittnauer’s catalog featured legendary names like Vacheron & Constantin and LeCoultre. In company ads and displays, Wittnauer proudly presented itself alongside these luxury marques as part of a “family of fine watches.” The Wittnauer brand itself was often marketed as the house brand – high quality but more affordable, essentially “second best to Longines” as one slogan put it. That wasn’t a knock on Wittnauer’s quality, by the way, but rather a clever bit of marketing. It suggested that if you couldn’t splurge on the world’s most honored watch (Longines’ tagline), the Wittnauer on the next shelf was the closest thing – Swiss looks and guts, minus the hefty price.
Importantly, though Longines and Wittnauer were closely intertwined, they were never exactly the same company in those early years. Wittnauer remained a separate entity (until much later), assembling its own watches with Swiss parts and also selling Longines watches directly. For a long time, the arrangement was simply that – a partnership. In fact, many Americans came to assume Longines and Wittnauer were one and the same brand, especially after seeing dual-signed dials and joint advertisements. But behind the scenes, the watches often had different movements and distinct designs; Wittnauer had its own product lines alongside the Longines imports. You might say they were like siblings – related and often seen together, but each with its own personality.
By the early 20th century, this partnership was flourishing. Wittnauer’s savvy distribution and local know-how helped make Longines a household name in America. In fact, under Wittnauer’s stewardship, Longines watches sold in the U.S. grew to account for a huge chunk of Longines’ global sales – at one point around 80%. The Longines-Wittnauer connection was so strong that in 1936 the company even renamed itself the “Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co.” after a major corporate change (more on that in a moment). And starting in the mid-1930s, some special models – like certain aviator watches – began rolling out with both “Longines” and “Wittnauer” on the dial, a double signature showing they were Swiss-made by Longines but imported and marketed by Wittnauer. For collectors of vintage Longines-Wittnauer watches, these dual-signed pieces are fascinating relics of that era when the two names shared a single watch face.
So, what prompted the name change in 1936? It wasn’t just for show – it marked a turning point in the companies’ fortunes. The Great Depression hit the luxury watch market hard. By the early 1930s, sales of Longines in the U.S. had slowed to a trickle, and A. Wittnauer Co. was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. In 1936, the Wittnauer family decided to sell the business. It was acquired by the jewelry and pearl manufacturer Hella Deltah Co., and the new owners rebranded the firm as the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company. In practice, this meant that Wittnauer would now put even more emphasis on selling Longines alongside its own watches – essentially tying the two brands’ fates together in the public eye. John Heinmuller, a passionate aviation timing expert who had joined Wittnauer years earlier, became president of the new Longines-Wittnauer company and helped turn things around with strong marketing (touting Longines as “The World’s Most Honored Watch”). This strategy paid off big: within a few years, the U.S. market rebounded and was driving the majority of Longines’ worldwide business.
Throughout these changes, Wittnauer’s original mission held steady – offer quality watches, many with Swiss movements, at accessible prices. Even as Longines watches (the higher-end line) were sold, Wittnauer kept producing its own affordable models to fill the gap for the customer who wanted “Swiss made” reliability on a budget. This dual strategy made Longines-Wittnauer a formidable player in mid-century American watch retail.
High Fliers and Hollywood: Wittnauer’s Moment in the Sun
The Longines-Wittnauer partnership wasn’t just about business deals and branding; it also led to some truly exciting chapters in watch history. In the 1920s and 30s – a golden age of exploration and aviation – Wittnauer timepieces found their way onto the wrists and dashboards of pioneers, often right alongside Longines instruments. In fact, Wittnauer carved out a niche as the go-to supplier for explorers, aviators, and even movie stars seeking reliable yet reasonably priced gear.
Under Martha Wittnauer – Albert’s sister, who astoundingly became the first female CEO of a watch company in 1916 – the company doubled down on technical innovation and adventure. Martha had no formal watchmaking training, but she had vision and grit. She led the company through World War I and the Roaring Twenties, championing the development of tough, precision instruments that could survive extreme conditions. For instance, Wittnauer introduced the “All-Proof” watch in 1918, one of the world’s first truly durable sports watches – it was billed as water-proof, dust-proof, shock-proof, you name it. To prove the point, they literally dropped one from a plane at 3,400 feet and soaked it in rain, only to show it still ticking happily. (Talk about a torture test – would you try that with your watch today?)
Wittnauer’s rugged watches quickly became favorites in aviation and exploration circles. The U.S. Navy used Wittnauer chronometers and instruments in early aviation navigation tests. Famed aviators like Amelia Earhart trusted Wittnauer equipment: when Earhart made her historic solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, her Lockheed Vega’s cockpit was outfitted with Wittnauer instruments helping to keep her on course. That same spirit of adventure saw Wittnauer on the wrist of Jimmie Mattern when he attempted a round-the-world flight in 1933 – he wore a Wittnauer All-Proof, which reportedly survived a crash and days of exposure in the Siberian wilderness. (Mattern later lent this very watch to astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took it on the Gemini 8 space mission in 1966. Imagine: a Swiss-American watch design from the 1910s riding aboard a 1960s spacecraft – now that’s what we call historic watches with stories to tell!)
Longines, for its part, was also deeply involved in aviation breakthroughs, often in tandem with Wittnauer as distributor. A famous example is the Longines Hour Angle watch, designed with pilot Charles Lindbergh after his 1927 transatlantic flight. This navigation watch, used for celestial calculations, was sold in the U.S. through Wittnauer. Likewise, the Longines Weems Second-Setting Watch (developed with Navy Captain P.V.H. Weems) was another aviation marvel of the era – and starting in 1935, the Weems watches sent to America bore dials co-signed “Longines-Wittnauer”. These vintage Longines-Wittnauer navigation watches are now prized by collectors of vintage timepieces, not just for their technical brilliance but for the rich dual heritage they represent.
It wasn’t all planes and polar expeditions, though. Wittnauer also enjoyed some glamour in the mid-20th century. Their watches were featured in Hollywood films and worn by movie stars, helping bolster the brand’s image as affordable elegance. By offering styles that ranged from utilitarian military pieces to Art Deco inspired watches in precious metals, Wittnauer appealed to a broad audience. The brand’s presence in watch boutiques and fine jewelry stores meant that a customer shopping for a Longines could easily be shown a Wittnauer as a more budget-friendly alternative, or vice versa.
And quality was never in doubt – Wittnauer watches used many of the same high-grade Swiss movements as more expensive brands. A Wittnauer chronograph from the 1940s, for example, might house a Swiss Valjoux or Lemania movement on par with those in a Breitling or Longines. These pieces, including the coveted vintage Wittnauer chronographs, remain a sweet spot for collectors today – offering top-notch vintage Swiss mechanics at a fraction of the price of their famous cousins. (In collector jargon, that’s called value – finding an under-the-radar gem that performs as well as the big names. Who doesn’t love a hidden gem?)
By the end of World War II, both Longines and Wittnauer had established themselves as key suppliers of military and aviation watches. Wittnauer even expanded into making compasses and other instruments during WWII. If you ever come across a dusty Wittnauer military compass or a cockpit clock at a flea market, snap it up – you’re holding a piece of a time when Swiss watchmakers and American entrepreneurs worked hand in hand to literally navigate the world.
Yet, as bright as these days were, the winds of change were starting to blow. The post-war era would bring new challenges, and the story of Longines and Wittnauer was about to take some dramatic turns.
Trials, Transitions, and the Quartz Revolution
Every long-running saga has its twists, and for Longines and Wittnauer, the post-1945 period brought plenty. The first big plot development? Longines itself stepped in and bought Wittnauer in 1950. Yes, after decades of partnership, the Swiss had effectively acquired their American partner. Under this arrangement, Wittnauer became a subsidiary of Longines (which was by then a respected Swiss luxury watch manufacturer in its own right). The two brands continued to maintain separate identities – they even kept separate factories – but now Wittnauer was officially part of the Longines family. For a while, this only strengthened their bond. In the 1950s and 60s, Wittnauer under Longines produced a slew of interesting watches, from sporty chronographs to elegant calendar watches, sometimes so similar to Longines models that only the name on the dial differed. The Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co. still managed U.S. distribution for other brands as well, but Wittnauer’s own line was now guided by Swiss ownership.
Then came the late 1960s and 1970s – turbulent times for the watch world. If you know a bit of watch history, you’ve heard of the Quartz Crisis. In 1969, Seiko introduced the first quartz wristwatch, and suddenly the mechanical watches that Longines and Wittnauer prided themselves on seemed old-fashioned. Longines was actually one of the pioneers of Swiss electronic watches (they debuted their own Swiss quartz watch movements in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s), but the flood of cheap Japanese quartz watches was a tidal wave that engulfed many traditional brands. Even as Longines pushed forward with technology, Wittnauer – positioned in the mid-range market – started to feel the squeeze from all sides: inexpensive Japanese watches below, glamorous Swiss and American brands above.
There was also the matter of corporate shuffle. In 1969, Longines-Wittnauer was sold to Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Yes, that Westinghouse – the American electrical giant. It might seem an odd pairing, but conglomerates were snatching up watch companies left and right in the 60s (Hamilton went to a chemical company, for example). Under Westinghouse, Wittnauer and Longines continued to be sold in the US, but some say the focus on innovation dulled. By the 1970s, Wittnauer’s popularity was on the decline. The brand that once flew high with Earhart and Armstrong was losing altitude in the age of disco and digital watches. Longines, too, faced challenges, but being a higher-end Swiss brand, it navigated the quartz revolution by leaning on its heritage and eventually finding a stable niche in classic, elegant timepieces (with the backing of what would become the Swatch Group).
For Wittnauer, the next big shake-up came in the 1990s. The long marriage was ending: in 1994, the 114-year partnership between Longines and Wittnauer officially came to a close. The Swatch Group (formerly SMH), which had taken control of Longines, decided to handle Longines distribution on its own in the United States. They effectively broke off the arrangement that had begun back in 1880. The name “Longines-Wittnauer” was no more; the company was renamed Wittnauer International, Inc., now standing on its own feet. One can only imagine it felt like a bit of an identity crisis for Wittnauer – after all, an entire generation knew the brands as inseparable partners.
Free from Longines but also without Longines’ prestige to lean on, Wittnauer struggled to redefine itself in the mid-90s. The brand still had recognition, but where did it fit in a market now dominated by either high-end Swiss luxury or low-cost Asian manufacturers? A group of investors tried to turn things around – in 1996, Wittnauer International was bought by a company called Composite Resources LLC. Unfortunately, this rescue mission didn’t go smoothly. Wittnauer continued to post losses (reportedly losing about $5 million), and the new owners ran into legal troubles. The writing was on the wall.
Finally, in 2001, the storied Wittnauer brand was acquired by Bulova for $11.6 million. Bulova, another company with deep roots in American watchmaking, saw value in Wittnauer’s name and history. If this were a movie, we might call it an “American reunion” – two historic New York-based watch brands joining forces (though by 2001 Bulova itself was owned by a foreign company, the Loews Corporation, and later would be sold to Japan’s Citizen in 2008). Under Bulova’s wing, Wittnauer was re-launched in the early 2000s with redesigned collections. The watches were still Swiss-made quartz and automatic watches, aimed at the fashion-conscious consumer.
However, let’s be candid: the Wittnauer that once rivaled Longines in prestige no longer really existed by the 2000s. Bulova kept the name alive, but largely positioned Wittnauer as a mid-tier fashion brand sold in department stores and mall jewelry outlets. The emphasis was on style – sparkling dials, modern designs – rather than the technical innovation or rugged exploration of the old days. Essentially, Wittnauer became a line of watches “by Bulova”, often Quartz-powered and marketed for their looks. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s a far cry from timing Olympians and aviators. Today, if you spot a Wittnauer watch at a shop, you might notice the fine print “Wittnauer by Bulova” on the materials, confirming that shift.
It’s a somewhat bittersweet end to the tale: a brand that blazed so brightly in history has faded into relative obscurity, its name living on mostly as a footnote under a bigger company. As one watch historian noted, had Wittnauer gone defunct in the 1980s at its peak, it might today be spoken of in reverent tones by collectors as a “lost legend”. Instead, it slowly drifted into the background. But that isn’t to say the legacy is lost – far from it.
Modern Legacy and Lasting Impressions
So, where are our two protagonists now? Longines, for its part, is alive and well – arguably thriving. It’s now a flagship brand in the Swatch Group, the giant Swiss watch conglomerate that also owns Omega, Tissot, Breguet, and more. Longines continues to be based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland (where it was founded in 1832), proudly stamping out Swiss mechanical watches and some quartz models that emphasize classic style, precision, and heritage. In modern Longines collections, you’ll find reverence for the past – for example, reissues of 1940s pilot watches and 1960s dive watches – a nod to the very era when Wittnauer helped the brand conquer the American market. Longines no longer needs a U.S. importer to reach its audience; its winged hourglass logo (one of the oldest registered trademarks in watchmaking) is recognized worldwide. Visit a posh shopping district or an authorized dealer’s website, and you’ll see Longines prominently featured among the pantheon of Swiss luxury makers. In short, Longines has secured its place in the modern era by leaning into what it’s always been: a maker of elegant, quality Swiss watch classics with a lot of history in every tick.
And what about Wittnauer? As we mentioned, it lives on as a Bulova sub-brand. In the early 2000s, Bulova tried to rekindle some of Wittnauer’s old magic with new designs. There were even some Swiss-made automatics released under the Wittnauer name post-2001, aiming to recapture the brand’s heritage. But in recent years, Wittnauer offerings have been sparse. Bulova itself has focused on its own historical revivals (like the reissue of its 1970s Chronograph C “Stars and Stripes” or the Precisionist line), while Wittnauer quietly slipped into the background. Ask a sales clerk at a watch store about Wittnauer today, and you might get a blank look – or perhaps they’ll recall a shiny diamond-set Wittnauer ladies’ watch in the display a few years back. The brand that once boasted of being “the next best thing to Longines” is now, ironically, mostly found in the discount aisle or not at all.
However, for vintage watch enthusiasts, Wittnauer is anything but forgotten. In fact, there’s a growing appreciation for what Wittnauer accomplished. Collectors on forums (yes, even on watches Reddit threads) swap stories of restoring Wittnauer heirloom pieces and hunting down retro watches at estate sales. Why the interest? Because those old Wittnauers were truly well-made, often using the same movements as more famous brands but selling for less on the secondhand market. You can still find a beautiful 1940s Wittnauer vintage chronograph with a reputable Swiss movement for a fraction of the cost of a comparable vintage Longines or Omega. For someone looking to dip their toes into collecting older watches, Wittnauer can be a friendly first step – a genuine piece of history that won’t require a second mortgage. And since Wittnauer isn’t a hyped name today, you’re less likely to encounter fakes; what you find is generally authentic, perhaps lovingly restored by a hobbyist or a vintage watch dealer.
Take, for example, the Wittnauer All-Proof – that model dropped from a plane and worn by explorers. An original All-Proof from the 1920s or 30s, with its aged dial bearing a charming patina (possibly from radium luminous material aging over time), is a conversation piece for sure. It’s not unusual to see such pieces with a bit of water staining on the dial or lume that has turned a mellow cream color – war wounds of a watch that really lived. Some collectors actually adore that look; a little patina on watches shows they have stories, a kind of rugged charm. And compared to the most sought-after vintage watches from brands like Rolex or Patek Philippe, Wittnauers are still cheap collectible watches – “cheap” only in price, not in build. In fact, savvy collectors sometimes joke that Wittnauer is one of the best kept secretsin vintage watch collecting.
There’s also a rising trend of appreciation for “neo-vintage” watches – those from the 1980s and 90s – and even here Wittnauer has a footnote. A 1980s Wittnauer (by then under Westinghouse or Hong Kong-based ownership) might not be as mechanically interesting, but it can serve up funky designs that scream retro cool. For instance, the Wittnauer Futurama 1000, launched around 1970, is a wild gold-plated watch with a futuristic retrograde display. It’s bizarre and bold – a reminder that Wittnauer wasn’t afraid to take design risks even in its later years. Spot one of these for sale and you’ll likely do a double-take. Owning such quirky vintage timepieces is like having a little slice of design history on your wrist. They may not be mainstream “grail” watches, but they have their own fan club.
In the end, the story of A. Wittnauer & Co. and Longines is a tale of two brands that grew up together, each leaving an imprint on the other. Longines might have been the bigger name globally, but it was Wittnauer’s American hustle that put Longines on so many American wrists for decades. And Wittnauer, in turn, gained a certain prestige by association – becoming a trusted name that stood for Swiss quality at a value. Their bond weathered economic storms, world wars, and technological upheavals, evolving from a handshake agreement to a corporate merger to, ultimately, a parting of ways.
Yet, the legacy remains. Next time you peek into your grandfather’s old jewelry box and find a dust-covered watch, don’t be surprised if the dial reads “Longines Wittnauer.” That little timepiece is a surviving witness to a unique partnership in watchmaking history – a partnership that bridged continents and brought Swiss watch traditions to the New World. Whether you’re a seasoned collector of historic watches or just someone who enjoys a good story, the Longines-Wittnauer saga is a reminder of how dynamic and interconnected the world of watchmaking can be.
