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13ZN Chronographs Inquiries and Information.

minutenrohr
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Looks nice. Typical french cased later 13ZN, movement number seems correct (Longines will answer an inquiry via email) - no issues except the silvered dial foot. maybe no problem, because the dial looks unrestored.

rgds - h.u.
 
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minutenrohr minutenrohr
Looks nice. Typical french cased later 13ZN, movement number seems correct (Longines will answer an inquiry via email) - no issues except the silvered dial foot. maybe no problem, because the dial looks unrestored.

rgds - h.u.

Thanks for that.
Yes, makes sense that it would be French case - as knowing it's history, I can confirm that it came from France. I have sent off to Longines to see if they cannot shed any more light on it. What do you mean by the "silvered dial foot"?
 
minutenrohr
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13zn dial foot.JPG

Usually 13ZN dial feet are coppered and a silvered foot is a sign for a redial. Yours seems to be one of the relatively rare exceptions.
 
W
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Aha. thanks for that. To my knowledge it has never been redialed, but no doubt Longines would be able to confirm this and any date that it might have been done? I will keep you posted as and when I hear from them to definitively confirm.
 
minutenrohr
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I´m 95% sure, that your dial is fine and not refinished. I believe that other members of the Omega Forums are much more reliable than Longines in judging your dial. Wait a little bit and they will write something about it...
 
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minutenrohr minutenrohr
I´m 95% sure, that your dial is fine and not refinished. I believe that other members of the Omega Forums are much more reliable than Longines in judging your dial. Wait a little bit and they will write something about it...
Excellent! Thank you.
 
DirtyDozen12
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After only viewing the image of the dial, I had not doubts that it was original. The white foot is intriguing but the obverse displays nothing that suggests restoration/alteration. "Fab. Suisse" matches with the French case and "M" on the movement, which can be seen on watches that were bound for France. What is odd is that the letter is "M" (metal) and not "O" (or = gold), as these letters refer to the case material. I wonder if the watch was originally cased in stainless steel.
 
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
What is odd is that the letter is "M" (metal) and not "O" (or = gold), as these letters refer to the case material. I wonder if the watch was originally cased in stainless steel.

It definitely came first hand in the gold case pictured, so any changes to the case would have to have been done before it was originally first sold. Is that likely?
 
DirtyDozen12
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W watchwatcher
It definitely came first hand in the gold case pictured
How do you know? Longines has confirmed this with their archive?
 
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
How do you know? Longines has confirmed this with their archive?
It was given by my grandfather to my father as a new watch in December 1946 and engraved as such on the back. My family and I lived in France until 1980
 
DirtyDozen12
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Wow! The serial number also suggests a production date of 1946. Maybe it is possible that it was shipped to France in a steel case and then placed into a gold case, prior to being sold. It will be neat to see what the archive says. I am also curious about the marking beside the "M". Quite an heirloom!
 
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Yes...I would be heartbroken to ever lose it or break it! Where is the M that you mention? - sorry...this is new for me so was trying to see where that was on the photo that was taken of the movement.... I will certainly confirm what Longines says once they respond...If nothing else as a useful archive on this forum of a watch with a history that is completely known.

PS - the caseback has a one digit less in the "100s" to the serial on the movement otherwise all the numbers are the same...Not sure if that means anything?
 
W
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aha...thank you! sorry I edited my previous post with some caseback info just as you must have been replying!
 
DirtyDozen12
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PS - the caseback has a one digit less in the "100s" to the serial on the movement otherwise all the numbers are the same...Not sure if that means anything?
I am not certain either!
 
minutenrohr
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Usually gold cased 13ZNs have matching numbers case/movement. Regarding that watch history (heirloom...), i would not worry about one single digit. Maybe they were negligent while stamping the case?
 
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hmm...or maybe the watch shop read off the serial number incorrectly when they looked at it yesterday. Damned difficult to read and I couldn't photograph clearly with no lighting, no tripod and a shaky hand..... The photo I uploaded was taken a few weeks back, but Longines couldn't read the last few digits as they were obscured by movement so asked me to retake.... had to go back to shop to get caseback taken off and then a kind elderly gentleman read off the digits on the movement for me...
Edited:
 
jljl123
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It was given by my grandfather to my father as a new watch in December 1946 and engraved as such on the back. My family and I lived in France until 1980

You asked about value, an old photo of your father with the watch might increase that value a little bit, providing some provenance. A great heirloom either way!
 
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jljl123 jljl123
You asked about value, an old photo of your father with the watch might increase that value a little bit, providing some provenance. A great heirloom either way!
Might take me a while to find a photo.... digital somewhat lacking in those days, but nothing like a challenge! 😀
 
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