Longines CEO: We invented the first GMT on behalf of the Sultan

Hello Fellows.

Longines CEO Matthias Breschan gave an interesting interview to the German-language podcast “UhrTalk”. Among other things, he reported on his own research in the museum archives on the history of Longines and that he found out how Longines had developed the first GMT watch.

The impetus and the idea for it came in 1908 from the then Ottoman Empire and had less to do with aviation, with which we associate GMT watches today. The international networking for logistics, trade and tourism at that time was by rail. 

(My picture: Orient Express, Paris Gare de l'Est 2022)

(Historic german advertisement for the Orient Express)

The Orient Express was completed a few years earlier, connecting Paris to Istanbul via Germany and Southeast Europe. The terminus was Sirkeci railway station on the European side of the intercontinental city.

(Routes of the Orient Express)

(Sirkeci Railway Station early 1900s on the european side of Istanbul, still existing today)

There were also other ambitions. At that time, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by Sultan Abdülhamid II. 

(Sultan Abdülhamid II.)

During his reign, numerous projects to modernize the economy, military, administration and, above all, the infrastructure took place.
The Ottoman Empire, especially Istanbul, was to become an international logistics and transport hub, connecting the European empires with the Middle East and their trade routes.

(Haydarpascha Railway Station early 1900s on the Asian part of Istanbul, still existing today even after several fire damages)

From the Asian side of Istanbul, from the Haydarpasha railway station, the so-called Baghdad Railway was to run from Istanbul via Konya, which was to connect Istanbul with Baghdad in present-day Iraq. Furthermore, there should still be a connection for pilgrims to Mecca in today's Saudi Arabia, via the so-called Hejaz railway.

(Route of the Baghdad Railway)

However, a problem was identified. International logistics requires cross-border planning and timing. But times ran differently in the Ottoman Empire. Scheduling in Istanbul was based on the Islamic calendar, in addition to the lunar calendar for the monthly and annual accounts, the daily time was depend on the daily prayers which were based on the position of the sun. But not in Paris, Vienna or Budapest.

In order to be able to coordinate better with the times of colleagues in Europe and to avoid mistakes, you needed a watch that could display two different time zones. One after European time and one after Ottoman time.

(Longines factory early 1900s)

They knocked the doors of Longines, chose them as their partner for implementation and were invited to the palace by the Sultan. So it came about that Longines developed and produced the first pocket watch for the Ottoman railway employees, according to the wishes oft the Sultan, which could display two independent time zones.

(Dolmabahce Palace, İstanbul ca. 1910)

(Istanbul Eminönü, early 1900s, not far from Sirkeci Railway Station)

In addition to my own research, the source of this information was the “UhrTalk” interview with Longines CEO Matthias Breschan.

Unfortunately I could not find a picture of this watch. Also, technically I can't say anything about the watch, whether it was a "real GMT" as we know it today, or a "Dual Time". You would probably have to research the archives in the Longines Museum.

I am attaching the link to the podcast with the CEO here as a source (at minute 40:00), even if many people may not be able to understand it because it is in German.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ReKuS7LdUMMBnUZP6JQJ6?si=8W-Z7pHDR3CZ9JDETVY1Nw

Happy new year.