Swiss steel ‘Honour and Glory’ pocket and wrist watch set Circa 1999

Celebration set of pocket and wrist watch chronographs
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An Honour and Glory pocket and wrist watch set, with unusual chronograph and nonius hands, made to celebrate the 120^th anniversary of Longines in St Imier, Switzerland, circa 1999.
The pocket watch has a numbered open faced case, which is crafted from steel, and the silvered dial features Arabic hour numerals, an outer minute track, a 30 minute counter at 12 o’clock, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock, a white Arabic scale for tenth of a second timing, a yellow Vernier Nonius scale from 0-9, an orange Nonius hand and black sword hands. The numbered movement features a lever escapement, 23 jewels and a split second chronograph.
The wrist watch was crafted from steel and features an automatic movement with a measuring accuracy of 1/10^th of a second.
The case and movement have matching numbers and the box, dial and movement are signed.
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Diameter (pocket watch): 62 mm
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Diameter (wrist watch: 42 mm
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Signed: Longines
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In 1999, Longines chose to celebrate its 120^th anniversary not with a single watch, but with a set that captured the very essence of the brand’s history in sports timekeeping. Limited to just 600 examples worldwide, the “Honour and Glory” set was presented as a collector’s treasure, complete with its original box, warranty, manuals, and even the original invoice — a time capsule of horological achievement.
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At the heart of the set are two very different but deeply connected watches. The first is a pocket watch chronograph from 1968 equipped with the celebrated movement that represented the pinnacle of Longines precision — hailed by the brand as the most accurate mechanism it ever created. With its rare split seconds constant force chronograph and patented nonius hands, this watch was not only innovative but historic, having been used by Longines at major sporting events, including the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics. For collectors, it embodies the brand’s role as a guardian of sporting time.
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The second piece, created specifically for this anniversary set, is a wrist chronograph unlike any other in the Longines catalogue. It was designed to echo the spirit of the pocket watch while offering modern refinement. Its automatic movement is revealed through a sapphire exhibition back, and like its elder counterpart, it features a nonius hand – a subtle yet powerful link to Longines’ storied innovations in measurement and accuracy.
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Together, these two timepieces tell a story of heritage and progress: one reaching back to the golden era of mechanical timekeeping, the other carrying that legacy forward into the modern age. The “Honour and Glory” set is more than a commemoration; it is a dialogue between past and present, a rare celebration of 120 years of horological excellence.
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Nonius hand
Pedro Nunes (Petrus Nonius in Latin) (1502-1578) was a Portuguese mathematician, cosmographer and professor.
A Nonius hand is the name given to a patented Vernier scale on the chronograph seconds hand of a Longines wristwatch from the late 1960’s and 1970’s, allowing for the measurement of fractions of a second. The curved extension of the hand features a scale with numbers 0-9, which aligns with a fixed scale on the watch dial to precisely indicate the tenths of a second, following the same principle as a Vernier calliper.
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Vernier
Pierre Vernier (1580-1637) was a French mathematician and instrument inventor. The Vernier scale is a visual aid that enables accurate measurement readings between two graduation markings on a linear scale by using mechanical interpolation, which increases resolution and reduces measurement uncertainty through Vernier acuity.