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Another one of my collection that were photographed is this beautiful old Longines, the Gold Hall mark dates to 1979, other than that I don't know a massive amount about the watch but its a beautiful dress watch.
https://i.imgur.com/JcS3Imjh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/e0FhbjFh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FVTI7I8h.jpg
Lovely, looks much earlier than 1979 though. Maybe Longines were already doing retro watches back then.
This is very nice indeed. I have one of the newer La Grande Classique's but I'd swap for this in an instant.
Is there a chance that the hallmark has been misread? The letter giving the year, for example, might have been from the previous cycle, making the case 26 years younger. The watch would look bang for 1953 - 9ct case marked 'Baume' etc. I'm a bit tied up now, but might be able to look up serial numbers, movement ref, case model number etc later today.
The case manufacturer "DS&S" is Shackman and Sons. Baume were Longines' agents.
If you could do, that would be amazing. ThanksQuote:
Originally Posted by Der Amf
Right, you can ignore my wondering about the hallmark - managed to read the calibre reference - it's a 6922, which makes it definitely 70s - the 69x2 family were introduced in 1971 I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by paneristi372
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-...&Longines_6922
Hallmark looks like a 'C' to me, so 1977. I can't make out the assay office symbol.
I'd been told late 70's, suppose it was wishful thinking for it to be a 79. I knew someone on here would chime in. Thanks everyone
That curly "C" can look a bit like a lower-case "e" - I think though this run of letters was curly upper case (see here) so its def not an "E"Quote:
Originally Posted by SimonK
Assay office symbol is hard to read, but from the shape I think it has to be London. 1977 seems right to me, although the style of the movement suggests 1950s......... but Ranfft never lies so I certainly wouldn't dispute this.Quote:
Originally Posted by SimonK
In it's day this watch wasn't exactly the height of fashion, 1977 is bang in the middle of the quartz revolution and a hand- wound mechanical certainly wouldn't appeal to all buyers!
By coincidence I'm working on a 50s gold Longines that I bought a few years back as a fixer-upper. This thread prompted me to find my old hallmarks book ( took a while!) to look this one up. Also checked the age of mine and it's 1957. As a 1958 model myself it just misses being a birth year watch for me..........which doesn't bother me in the slightest because I find the whole birth year fad childish.
The OP's watch is a nice one, Longines were a quality manufacturer before Swatch swallowed them up.
Paul
It doesn't really matter which assay office it was as long as it is UK since post 1974 they all used the letters in sync thus C is 1977 regardless of which. I agree that the London leopards head looks favourite based on the pic.
Didn't know that...... every day's a schoolday. I'm still pleased at finding my old hallmarks book:unconscious:Quote:
Originally Posted by Padders
I can't quite read the movement serial number in the photo - is it 8.1m? At any rate I recently got confirmation from Longines that my 5.1m serial number was from 1972.
I'm pretty sure the movement begins 5.1?!?!Quote:
Originally Posted by Der Amf
I'll pop it open again and check with a loupe.
Maybe they made a big batch at the start of seventies they were still using it up in 1977. If you want to write to Longines for whatever info they have, look at this:Quote:
Originally Posted by paneristi372
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...92c7982903.jpg
Literally all you have to do is email those four photos to that address and they'll look up and tell you whatever they know about the movement and the watch
I tried blowing up the pic and I think the serial number is likely to begin with 21. I have a list of serial numbers up to '69, which was 15,000,000. Prior to this they began a fresh sequence each year, so 1968 started at 14,000,000. On that basis 21,000,000 would equate to 1975. These movements were produced in the 70s, the hallmark looks like 1977, for me that all hangs together. The movement was produced in '75 and the case was produced in '77. That's not unusual with gold cased watches, often the movements are a year or two (or more) older.
Trying to date an old watch to a specific year is an inexact science. Who's to say this watch didn`t sit in stock for a year or two before sale? It was a different ball-game in those days when the traditional gold watch was still held in high esteem.
Just completed restoration of a 1957 9ct gold Longines, cased the watch up 1 hr ago and tried it on a gold bracelet I`ve had for years. Unfortunately it doesn`t work.....that bracelet's waiting for a 9ct 60s Seamaster Deville when I eventually find one.
I have a customer lined up for the Longines, it's a lovely watch and I`ll give him first refusal as I agreed. If he turns it down it's going on SC, the plan was always to fix it up and sell it.
I really must find a nice Longines for my own collection, their 50s-70s stuff was excellent.
Paul
Here is an update about my lovely 9ct gold Longines.
I have been back and forth to Longines and finally, we have a date. Here is what they sent me via email
'The original serial number 51'724'797 identifies a wristwatch fitted with a manually wound mechanical movement, caliber 6922. It was invoiced in October 1973 to the company Baume & Co, which was at that time our agent for the UK.'
They have also posted me an Extract from the Archive in the for of a lovely certificate in a clear plastic sleeve. Absolute result.
Thanks for the assistance from here too, We were nearly there at 72 ;-)
hi OP,lovely watch,heres mine,its 9ct gold with an 18ct gold bracelet,its very simular to yours and bears an inscription for long service with Hawker Siddeley in 1973..https://i.imgur.com/KWfhgfr.jpg