August 29, 2012: To celebrate its 180th anniversary, Longines is launching various new models throughout the year, the latest being the Longines Telemeter Chronograph and the Longines Tachymeter Chronograph.
One of the significant characteristics of the Telemeter Chronograph is its telemeter scale on the dial, inspired by a beautiful chronograph produced by Longines in 1933. Telemeter scales were initially introduced around 1852 to measure the distance travelled by sound. Activated right after the flash of lightening and stopped when the thunder is heard, the hand of the chronograph shows the distance in kilometres of the phenomenon.
The Longines Tachymeter Chronograph features a technical tool initially introduced around 1811 to measure the hourly pace in assembly lines, as well as the velocity of the first modern means of locomotion: the tachymeter. To measure the hourly pace, the chronograph is started at the beginning of a task and stopped once the task is completed. The hand then shows the average production pace per hour. To find out the velocity of a subject, the chronograph is activated at distance zero and stopped once the distance of one kilometre has been covered. The hand then indicates the average velocity in units measured.
Both the watches, with a 41mm circular steel case, house a self-winding mechanical movement with a column-wheel chronograph mechanism, exclusively developed for Longines, which can be admired through a transparent case back. The chronograph is equipped with a date aperture at 4h30, a small second at 9 o’clock, a 30-minutes counter at 3 o’clock and a 12-hours counter at 6.
