Dubai, UAE, 21 July 2004: Swiss watchmaker Longines, who was present at some of the world's most prestigious sporting events, including the first modern Olympics in 1896, has launched its Olympic Collection as a tribute to the Olympic movement.
The collection features two models of a classic, elegant chronograph. The handsome designs in stainless steel features either a silver brushed finish or a black varnished dial with Arabic numerals, enhanced with the Olympic rings and protected by scratch resistant, non-reflecting cambered sapphire crystal. Both models come with a stainless steel bracelet with a triple deployment buckle or choice of dark blue or brown genuine leather straps.
The watches are an embodiment of Longines' essential objective to design and produce timepieces that incorporate genuine value and elegance, inside out.
The automatic version offers a L651 self-winding chronograph movement with 28,000 vibrations per hour and a 42 hour power reserve. A set of stainless steel hands show the hours and minutes, while at 3 o'clock a sub dial marks the seconds and a 30 minutes totalizer stands at 9 o'clock, and at 6 o'clock an aperture reveals the date.
The quartz version is equipped with an L541 movement that features a central minutes and seconds hands, a 12-hour totaliser at 10 o'clock and a 1/10th second totaliser at 2 o'clock for chronograph timing.
The collection is presented along with a comprehensive publication dedicated to the development of 125 years of sports timekeeping by Longines.
Longines and other Swatch Group companies have performed official timekeeping duties at 27 Olympic games, 170 World Championships, eight Asian Games, and countless other top-tier sports events.
Throughout the 20th century, competition sport and Longines have run the same race, each giving the other the very best of itself. "The history of sport in our time coincides with Longines," says company president Walter von K?nel. "In the image of over a century's finest sports performances, this partnership stands as a feat unequalled in the entire history of watch making."
Longines is part of the Swatch Group Ltd. Headquartered in Biel, Switzerland. It is the largest manufacturer and distributor of finished watches in the world. In 2003 the Group produced some 127 million watches, movements and stepping motors, with yearly sales of 3983 million Swiss francs.
For more information visit www.longines.com
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Distributed for Longines in the Middle East by Polaris Public Relations.
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KeziaFrayjo or Stephen Worsley on
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© Press Release 2004
