Vintage Longines chronographs, are they especially valued by collectors? Where is the market on these watches?

I've watched the vintage Longines chronograph models for years, both on Ebay and elsewhere. Classic Longines chronographs always seemed to have had a special following and been priced accordingly but in recent times they've really spiked in their pricing. I admire the vintage Longines watches very much and feel the brand has much going for it. The chronograph models though have far outstripped the rest of the Longines line in pricing in recent years. Vintage Longines chronograph models seem to be priced higher than similar chronograph watch models of other lines, sometimes even Omega. Did Longines provide in-house movements for their models in some instances or were the Lemania, Valjoux, and Venus movements utilized in so many chronographs of the era also used in Longines chronograph models? Is this price rise in recent times a valid observation or is it just me? Were the Longines one and two register chronographs of the 1940s-1960s era something special?

For me personally, this represents one of those cases where I could'a, should'a, would'a, added a nice Longines chronograph to the collection back in the 1990s when the prices were not so much higher than prices of some of the respected non-chronograph Longines models. Now even the poor condition "barking dog" Longines chronograph watch is priced quite high. There is no use in paying extra for someone else's deferred maintenance.

Would love to read what the knowledgeable have to say, including any special links to information on vintage Longines chronographs.

Any photographic treats that members would care to share of their Longines chronographs would be appreciated as well.

 

Longines 30CH, 12.68Z STOP, and 13ZN were all inhouse and excellent movements that are VERY sought after by collectors. As vintage mechanical watch collecting increases in popularity, inhouse movements will set the pricing standard and Longines was one of the best manufacturers in the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

 

Speedy response!

Ah, in-house "back in the day." A grail watch for me would be a vintage Longines chronograph in a 18k rose gold case with an all-Arabic numeral dial (no markers) all done up in a chestnut colored strap of vintage appearance.

 

No, its a Long**** response. We do Speedys too, though

 

While Dennis and I don't often disagree, I'll qualify his above statement in the following manner. While it is true that high-quality in-house movements are prized by collectors, and that those watches without in-house movements are usually penalized in the market, there are some important exceptions.

For example, both Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, two of what are considered to have been the three highest class manufacturers during the Golden Era (i.e. mid-'40s through the early '60s), used Jaeger LeCoultre-based movements for many of their finest models. Audemars and Patek Philippe also used the Valjoux VZ base movement for important watches, some of which sell now for huge money.

Now, in the first example it is true that those JLC base calibers were reserved for V&C and AP exclusively, and then finished to very high standards in-house. But technically speaking, they were not in-house movements, and hence my nitpicking of Dennis' point.

Cheers,

Tony C.

 

A fair enough point by Tony C. - and I would add that Breitling is another exception, particularly the old Navitimers with Venus and Valjoux chronograph calibers inside.