For a while I had been interested in some 1940s Longines with sturdy gold screwback cases and 24 hour dials. I liked the contrast and the paradox of their sporty lumed dial and case style and the more « chic » aspect of the gold. I’d kept an eye on them for a while but all of those I saw had wrecked dials, or dials that seemed horribly refinished. This one, as other similar watches, is a US market watch with 14k Wadsworth case inscribed «Cased and timed in USA by Longines », and a 10L movement inscribed LXW as it should. It’s small at 30mm but feels built like a tank. My watchmaker who now has the watch found some red paint show on some of the 24 hour numerals. This is consistent with other similar models found on line. I wonder whether the color has turned or whether something was applied on top. When I first saw the dial with a loupe I was unsettled to find the minute track uneven.@DirtyDozen12 with his usual sleuthing talents found other examples showing it’s a common feature of those watches. Unfortunately, I was going to take a closer picture of the dismounted movement at my watchmaker’s shop when it slipped out of my hands and the balance staff broke. That kind of threw off the photo shoot but my watchmaker took some pictures of the dial back, showing those dials marked «Swiss » are made by Lemrich. As far as I know European Longines of the same period usually have dials made by Stern or Fluckiger.
Congratulations, S; it's a beauty! Gold screw-back case, sporty dial in nice shape, and just your size....great find!
Lovely and perfectly patinated. I too have suffered from butterfingers with a broken balance as a result (on a 1918 Longines with Enamel dial right out of the shipper) Congrats. Is that a vintage strap as well?
Thanks gents and yes, I kind of had a bit of a melt-down... @Larry S not a vintage strap, although it has some patina of its own!
Nice watch! Hoping to see more of your new find when it returns from hospital. You're a real Longines resource with posts full of tidbits of useful and interesting information.
Thank you @noelekal, I try to contribute if and when I can. The mistakes we sometimes make out of ignorance can be costly.
What a world of difference a loupe examination or a good picture can make. As I was off today, I brought my watchmaker a donor movement and we looked at the dismounted dial. The central 24 hour numeral track turns out to be a crisp and brownish red color. Edit / add/ noticiing a loss of resolution in the upload though.
Both the appearance of the radium and cracks in the varnish are indicative of original dials from the period. Thanks for posting these images!
Forgot to update on this one, Longines' chief vintage watchmaker examined this dial in person and says it's original. @Tire-comedon who saw this watch in person thought someone must have tried some spot cleaning or applied a chemical on the red numerals, leading to a superficial loss of varnish around those red numerals. Longines' vintage watchmaker agrees with that conclusion. A bit of a pity someone messed with it a bit but since this is the only example of that reference I've ever found with an original dial, I'm content with it. Also I’m realizing I never posted « after » pictures so here goes.
Thanks for the kind words- and for good measure I added a few more pictures above. My favorites remain the close up pictures of the crackling varnish.
Agreed! ...and I love the functional, yet beautiful dial layout on this one, S! Congratulations on the fine find, the investigative footwork, and the details here for us to enjoy as well!
Found an interesting update on this dial configuration, unfortuately the link is bound to age out with the high res pictures, but it’s clear this other original dial also has the same varnish losses around the red numerals. So I now have to believe it’s part of a natural ageing process, pertaining perhaps to some chemicals used on thos red numerals tracks? Unless someone establishes it was a customary process to apply certain chemicals on red numerals to refresh them during service? In any event, we’re no longer talking about a freak instance - but about something pertaining to a broader history of these watches and their dials. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1545422311...rentrq:d6201cc617c0a9d991973301fff0376a|iid:1Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network