Longines Symphonettes

Just how creative and revolutionary the invention of the wristwatch was can be lost in a world of cell phones and smartwatches. In the early days of powered flight, having a timepiece mounted on the aviator's wrist meant that he could easily check the time without the need to fumble with his pockets to check the time.

Naturally, whatever daring pilots found convenient would become fashionable with the trendsetters. Very quickly, the trend would move from merely copying daring aviators to a fashion statement.

The company that would become Longines demonstrated innovation in 1867 by implementing crown winding for its pocket watches rather than the then-common key winding. The Swiss watchmaker also produced the first wristwatch.

To help protect the company's reputation for quality and precision, Longines (whose name means "the long meadows") trademarked the hourglass logo in 1889. They would collaborate with Charles Lindberg in 1931 to create an aviation watch with navigational aids.

Although the Longines line emphasizes its connections to sport, scientific, and navigational timepieces, the luxury of the Lady's watch line. The line also lent its name to a prerecorded classical music program that began nightly broadcasts over the Mutual Network in 1943.

In 1949, The Longines Symphonette moved to CBS where it played on Sunday afternoons until 1957. The program was hosted by announcer Frank Knight and featured a variety of classical music.

A record label was established, the Longines Symphonette Society, which specialized in releasing boxed sets of the radio program.