1934 40mm Longines Cal 15 chronograph

Radiumpassion

Longines cal. 15 that is Valjoux based. Nice catch for 180$

DirtyDozen12

Great catch! This is an uncommon Longines and quite desirable. As @Radiumpassion mentioned, the movement is referred to as cal. 15, however it is based on a Valjoux cal. 22GH. The lack of markings on the case is normal. The enamel dial looks original and has a lovely design with a red tachymeter scale. The steel case is also neat. The crown and most of the hands look original, too. So overall, quite a nice example. The "jumper spring" you are looking for can probably be found on a spare Valjoux 22GH movement, though the finishing might not match your Longines example, as the parts have been nicely beveled and polished. Thanks for sharing photos here!

DirtyDozen12

P.S. I would guess that the size of your watch is around 40 mm? Regarding value, it is crucial that none of the original parts presently on the watch are replaced or altered (e.g., do not polish the case or replace the crown or hands). A somewhat similar example (steel, 40 mm, enamel dial) sold a few years ago at auction, though I cannot locate a record of the sale price. There is presently an example for sale on Chrono24 and the seller (Cars and Watches) is asking 18,000 USD. I can imagine that your example is worth 10,000 USD or more.

Source: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...are-longines-oversize-steel-4304-c-aa341ef934

Source: https://www.chrono24.com/longines/l...-steel-chrono-vintage-no-13zn--id35638788.htm

AdamVT227

wow i though it was worth 2-3k , but those examples are in better condition .
and yes the diameter is 40mm

JohnLy

The above pictures are Cal 15 ref 3205, it's 39mm diameter and was invoiced on 31 January 1935. The serial number is not far off from yours so assume yours was made in the same time frame. There are not many of the Cal15 out there so you did very well. Most that I have seen were gold so to get a steel one is special.

The above is the Cal 15 Flyback ref 3756, it's 37mm in diameter and was invoiced 19 March 1936. Longines patent for the flyback function was based upon the Cal 15 even though Longines produced the flyback option on the Cal 13.33 many years before the Cal 15 was being manufactured.

This is the 13.33 Flyback, it's 35mm in diameter and was invoiced on 8 Feb. 1934.

Syrte

That’s one example when it’s worth paying Longines for a vintage workshop restoration.

AdamVT227

Could you enlighten me with this service ?
is it similar to Omega's restoration program ?

Syrte

Longines in Switzerland have a vintage watchmaking workshop with stocks of old parts and if anyone would have the missing part it would be them.
I haven’t visited in a few years but the service used to cost around 2500 to 3000 euros - depending on the watch. In those days they were quite different from Omega in the way they respected patina on old watches, Longines was much more open minded towards collectors wishes to retain old elements, however In your instance it does not matter because silver regains its patina quickly.

The only way to know if they have your part is to send the watch for an estimate, which would usually be done through their local branch which would ship it to Switzerland. It could take severai months though, just to get the estimate.

Also it should be noted they will not sell the part separately. Their policy is to keep their rare parts for people who pay for a full service.