Witttnauer have had a long lasting co-operation with Longines and in 1936, in the middle of the depression, the sale of luxury items was suffering and Martha decides to sell A. Wittnauer company to Hella Deltah Company, a successful pearl manufacturer. The sale would ensure the survival and success of the company. Capitalizing on the long partnership and history with Longines, the company was renamed Longines-Wittnauer. Both brands produced distinctly different movements, though both were of similar excellent quality. The ownership would continue this way until 1969.
In 1969, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation purchased Wittnauer, bringing together an electrical industry giant, who was once a rival to Thomas Edison’s electric company, and the Wittnauer brand at the forefront of the newest electronic timekeeping technology.
In 1972, Robert Pliskin was installed as president and he dedicated himself to improving and increasing the quality of the company offerings, concentrating on the Wittnauer watch brands, as well as Atmos clocks ( the mechanical torsion pendulum clock ), while continuing to refine its electronic watch innovations. While president, he boosted the company’s sales 79%-from $28 million to $50 million-in less then seven years.
In 1983, Longines becomes part of the Société Swiss de Microélectronique et D’Horlogerie, now known as The Swatch Group. Longines is still a thriving brand within The Swatch Group today. This move would effect Wittnauer-Longines later on.
1991 With the revived slogan, “The Watchmaker’s Watch,” the Wittnauer watch brand becomes the primary focus of the company. New company president, Reynald M. Swift, hires a new advertising agency specifically for Wittnauer watches. Swift chose Henry Fried, the Dean of the watch industry, to put together a major book project covering the companies complete story. This comprehensive definitive volume was made available to all Longines-Wittnauer jewelers.
In 1994, The Swatch Group decided to take over the entire distribution of Longines in the U.S., and with this decision their more than a century association with Wittnauer ended. Longines-Wittnauer renamed their company Wittnauer International Inc. and focused all energy on the Wittnauer brand.
Source; The History Of The Wittnauer Watch Company (timesticking.com)
