Hi, I'm a vintage watch newbie (apart from my grandfather's no-longer-working Constellation f300hz), but I'm considering a purchase of a 60s Longines Admiral cal 342 on ebay, and I thought it odd that the rotor is engraved with a barely readable "Grand Prize" and partial Longines logo. I guess this is a frankenwatch of some sort? This would be a gift to my 21-year-old son, who wants a vintage watch for aesthetic reasons rather than collector or resale value -- but who knows, maybe this will be stage one of the vintage watch collection bug. What should I be concerned about with this watch? The seller does take returns, so that's a plus.

Thanks, Longines lovers, for any advice.

Listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-LO...NS-WATCH-STAINLESS-STEEL-CAL-342/312526830976Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

What's going on with the 11 o'clock lug? Looks scooped out or bent. Any other pics?

 

These were the only additional pics. Not sure they'll help with the lug question.

 

I’m a fan of Longines 60s watches like this. They are classic watches with good movements and, at present, still comparatively well priced. They have a justifiable cachet.
This one looks nice and is reasonably priced and, on the basis that 1) you can return it if you don’t like it, and 2) you can return it if it doesn’t match the fairly confident seller’s description, you can probably bid up nearer the end of the auction, if you decide to go for it.
You’ve got over two days to research before you get to the nitty. You're competing with a few bidders so you may want to do a bid of research:
Read the OF Thread 'Learning to fish’, look at what else is available on eBay, look at the 'completed listed section' to see what these are currently going for.
I think the lug looks okay but if it isn’t, and you successfully bid for the watch, you can return it. I think the lume spots look messy, but that may just be the photos.

 

Thanks for the advice, Spruce, and also for taking a look, Benbagbag. No concerns here about the rotor?

 

Not really. It’s a 50 year old antique watch. The seller says it runs and keeps good time but you may want to get a local watchmaker to service it at some stage, if you get it and decide to keep it. I’m not a watchmaker but the photos look fine.
Whether you’re successful or not, once you decide to bid, screen shoot all the photos and all the information provided. Just in case.

 

OK. Thanks so much!

 

Following up: bought it, paid $331 for it. It looked like some shilling went on during the auction, but I basically sniped and stayed just barely within what I was willing to pay. It's a beautiful watch -- much more so than it looks in the pictures. It also has an off-balance rotor, which I learned is a somewhat typical issue with the 340 series movements (that's why the lettering was worn off -- it was scraping the caseback!). Getting that fixed (needs a new oscillation weight wheel) and doing a service will run me $350. I think it's worth it, but I can still return it.

My real point is that I really enjoyed the process of learning about these watches and figuring out which watches being offered online were likely to be legit. The Omega Forums were particularly helpful. I'm not sure I did a great job of getting a good deal, but I don't think I got too screwed, either. Thanks.

https://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/thread32202.html

 

Nice piece. Email Longines to get an extract. that would give you the the history behind the watch and will make a great companion together with the watch for your son.

 

Thanks, Renton. I will definitely do that!

Here's a question about servicing a watch whose service record you don't have. If my new-to-me Longines runs well -- as it does -- can I get away with just having the oscillation weight wheel replaced and skip the nearly $300 service, or is it wiser to do the full service as well? The notations on the inside of the case were not clear on when the last service was.

 

I followed the auction (I didn’t bid) and wondered if you’d got it. I’m delighted you did and at a very reasonable price IMO.

It’s always a relief to open the package and to discover that the watch looks better than the photos and runs as well or better than you might have hoped.

It’s a 60 year old watch and if it had been bought by me, I’d give it a good wear for a couple of weeks, to see how it runs, and then get it serviced, pointing out any issues I’d noticed.

It doesn’t sound as if it needs rebuilding or any major work, so I’d shop around for a reasonable vintage watch repairer and get it serviced. I use different repairers depending on the watch and the problem. I post it next day delivery.

On the basis of your assessment, I’d anticipate a cost (in UK) of USD 150, give or take, plus parts.

More photos please.

 

Thanks Spruce. I really appreciate the advice. It's currently with the watchmaker, so no pics (the ones I took before I dropped it off aren't so great). But I'll post some soon!