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Any Experience Restoring a Vintage Watch with Original Service Center in Switzerland?

thelinendial
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Hi,

Has anyone ever restored a vintage watch (dial, hands and all or close to that) with the original official Service Center in Switzerland? Any before and after pictures - no luck on google?

I certainly appreciate patina (and keeping some of my vintages watches as is) but for my Longines below I'd like to see it back to it's original glory.

And, does anyone know if it'd really be authentic, that is they'd be able to reprint the dial back to factory finish?

Longines 1947 Sub Seconds.jpeg


From the archives for those interested,

The original serial number 7'535'372 identifies a wristwatch in stainless steel bearing the reference 5583 and the order number 23703. It is fitted with a Longines manually wound mechanical movement, caliber 27M and was invoiced on 19 October 1948 to the company Wirth, which was at that time our agent for Switzerland.
Edited:
 
DirtyDozen12
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I know a number of people who have had watches restored by Longines. This work has included movement restoration, dial refinishing, and even dial reproduction. The work can be done to a very high standard but bringing this dial, "back to its original glory," is out of the question, in my opinion. To someone with a casual interest in Longines, the result will look nice. But, if you really appreciate the nuances of the design, leaving it in its present condition is the best option. I think that the dial looks great. 👍
 
Evitzee
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One man's deteriorated dial is another man's patina. Only you can decide if a weathered dial is still acceptable to your peepers.
 
thelinendial
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
I know a number of people who have had watches restored by Longines. This work has included movement restoration, dial refinishing, and even dial reproduction. The work can be done to a very high standard but bringing this dial, "back to its original glory," is out of the question, in my opinion. To someone with a casual interest in Longines, the result will look nice. But, if you really appreciate the nuances of the design, leaving it in its present condition is the best option. I think that the dial looks great. 👍

Would you happen to have any pictures? I'm really curious how they turned out.
 
impalla62ss
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It would probably cost a great deal less to find another similar watch in better condition, than to restore it. It is up to you, personally I'd rather have an original watch over a restoration. It is all personal taste though.
 
DirtyDozen12
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thelinendial phamti
Would you happen to have any pictures? I'm really curious how they turned out.
As the watches are not mine, I am not at liberty to share pictures. But, the difference between new and old is relatively obvious. Also, the cost will far exceed the value of the watch.
 
Radiumpassion
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This Sport Chief went to Longines for full overhaul and dial reprint. The price
was 1300€ Now it`s IMO not a collectors item, and worth only a fraction of
1300€

0841E5D8-3966-4C8F-88BE-93B8BBF9ADF5.jpeg F54089D6-A760-4F32-8C8B-A92C203CFFF1.jpeg
 
thelinendial
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Thanks that's good advice everyone. At the same time I'm definitely looking for a better condition or dial of this same watch or similar... but unfortunately so far it seems rather unique and no luck so far.

Maybe I'm searching for the reference number wrong "7'535'372" and tried changing the ' to . ect... no results.
 
SkunkPrince
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thelinendial phamti
Thanks that's good advice everyone. At the same time I'm definitely looking for a better condition or dial of this same watch or similar... but unfortunately so far it seems rather unique and no luck so far.

Maybe I'm searching for the reference number wrong "7'535'372" and tried changing the ' to . ect... no results.
That's the serial number. The reference number is three or four or five (probably four) digits on the inside of the caseeback. Oh, sorry... thought this was Omega and not Longines. But you still probably have quoted the serial number.
 
Dan S
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thelinendial phamti
Thanks that's good advice everyone. At the same time I'm definitely looking for a better condition or dial of this same watch or similar... but unfortunately so far it seems rather unique and no luck so far.

Maybe I'm searching for the reference number wrong "7'535'372" and tried changing the ' to . ect... no results.

Longines gave you the reference number when they responded to your request. According to the OP it is 5583. It's not necessarily written in the case.
 
thelinendial
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thelinendial phamti
Thanks that's good advice everyone. At the same time I'm definitely looking for a better condition or dial of this same watch or similar... but unfortunately so far it seems rather unique and no luck so far.

Maybe I'm searching for the reference number wrong "7'535'372" and tried changing the ' to . ect... no results.

::facepalm1:: Ugh... too many late nights at work and for some reason I forgot that was a serial number.

I had spent an hour or so punching in every engraved number I could find in google but the only matches are my original watch. I even tried searching by image but no luck:

Ref Number: 5583
Caliber: 27M
CaseBack: 2703 4B
Movement Engraving: 7535372 (no idea what this number is for)

Any insights on searching would be much appreciated.

F1B4B7B2-578B-4F49-988B-C6971565FE5D.jpeg C571CE2C-0C2B-4DF2-A712-A7A42BD5BD6E.jpeg


And interestingly, I’ve had no luck googling before and after restored watches by official Longines and Omega Service Center either - this points to me being one of the few on the Internet - so certainly feels a bit crazy then to consider this.
Edited:
 
Syrte
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Longines « Brand Heritage » department has put in place a remarkable workshop of about 10 vintage watchmakers who will do incredible restoration work.
Servicing and restoring a watch in the vintage workshop costs about 3000 euros or Swiss Francs, and that doesn’t even include dial restoration. It’s totally worth it on certain watches, and it’s totally worth it if you have the cash.

However on this watch, the cost of service is about 10 times the value of the watch. It’s not a cost effective proposition— especially since the watch will lose some of its value if you restore the dial.
The people who have their watches restored by Longines do not post on the web saying « hey look what Longines did with my 20K’watch ».
Best regards
 
thelinendial
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@DirtyDozen12 amazed you found what looks like the same watch, especially since it’s listed as reference 5458!

Based on the eBay pictures, I am reading up to try and find why there are burn makes around numbers.

If it’s due to water damage then a better specimen may exist. However, if it’s due to reactive material in the number themselves then I can see why restoring would effectively make it an impossible vintage.

I think some folks may find this odd, but I like the even patina of my dial better 😵‍💫. The individual bubble marks on the relatively clean face of the eBay remind me of pimples.
 
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