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Is this 12.68 5 adjusted a Franken?

E
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Hi All,

Just came across this 12.68 which has 5 adjusted on the movement,.something I rarely see.
But noticed the longines script on the dial is different from the style seen on the case back,and suspect it's a parts watch,but not sure?

And the hands are a different colour.

It has a 32.5mm size case,without the crown.

Many thanks

Lee
20220410_081507.jpg 20220410_081452.jpg 20220410_081438.jpg
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Syrte
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Greetings, did you buy it already?
It鈥檚 an intriguing watch, but it鈥檚 possible that it could be all correct. We鈥檇 need much better, high resolution pictures of the dial.
The cursive writing on the back is unusual but definitely legit, and the one on the dial looks very crisp. The fact they鈥檙e both cursive to me suggests they did belong together initially.
Longines did sell center seconds watches with red secondd hands to certain markets.
So I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a franken, but I wonder if it鈥檚 paint, grime or corrosion which is staining the raised or applied numerals, whether the raised 芦 10 禄 is in fact crossing into the minute track.
we鈥檇 also need crisp pictures from the inside case back to say more but IMHO the watch as it is appears consistent.
 
E
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Syrte Syrte
Greetings, did you buy it already?
It鈥檚 an intriguing watch, but it鈥檚 possible that it could be all correct. We鈥檇 need much better, high resolution pictures of the dial.
The cursive writing on the back is unusual but definitely legit, and the one on the dial looks very crisp. The fact they鈥檙e both cursive to me suggests they did belong together initially.
Longines did sell center seconds watches with red secondd hands to certain markets.
So I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a franken, but I wonder if it鈥檚 paint, grime or corrosion which is staining the raised or applied numerals, whether the raised 芦 10 禄 is in fact crossing into the minute track.
we鈥檇 also need crisp pictures from the inside case back to say more but IMHO the watch as it is appears consistent.

Hi,

Thank you kindly for your reply.I haven't bought the watch yet,so all photos are from the seller.

I have attached a couple more pictures.

What got my interest was the 5 adjusted stamp on the movement.
Would this be a chronometer even though there is no chronometer print on the dial?

The longines logo on the dial,going by information found on forums says that style was introduced in 1925 and the style on the back of the case 1930.



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Yves-
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Not a chronometre but a seriously cool watch nonetheless
 
E
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Yves- Yves-
Not a chronometre but a seriously cool watch nonetheless
It certainly got character.
Hope no one minds me talking about price,but is the 拢650 price, not including taxes and postage high for this longines?

Many thanks.
 
Yves-
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E Eldridge
It certainly got character.
Hope no one minds me talking about price,but is the 拢650 price, not including taxes and postage high for this longines?


Well..how does it make you feel to pay for a history like it must of had...plus the build quality and survivor instinct it has
Do you trust the seller?
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E
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Well,my heart says go with it,because the watch looks great and I know longines from this era made outstanding movements.

But I have already a few 12.68s,but this 5 adjusted movement has really got my attention.
 
E
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Yves- Yves-
Do you trust the seller?
Unfortunately I know little about the seller,which is also why I'm hesitant.

But I have search Google for another watch like this,but have not been able to find one to study.
 
Yves-
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E Eldridge
Well,my heart says go with it,because the watch looks great and I know longines from this era made outstanding movements.

But I have already a few 12.68s,but this 5 adjusted movement has really got my attention.
 
Yves-
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E Eldridge
Thanks for the video.....certainly food for thought!
Thing is if you don't trust the seller, don't give him money...seems like a rare watch
However, the inside of the caseback has minimal markings and the indice at ten is off (maybe).
I can certainly understand why you're tempted. Money aside, it's definitely a charactar, this watch. Originality is intact i believe but i'm no expert.
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Syrte
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The price seems very excessive considering a certain level of risk and the condition of the dial.
 
E
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Yves- Yves-
Thing is if you don't trust the seller, don't give him money...seems like a rare watch
However, the inside of the caseback has minimal markings and the indice at ten is off

Syrte Syrte
The price seems very excessive considering a certain level of risk and the condition of the dial.

Thank you.Yes I agree and was trying to understand how rare the watch is to justify paying the asking price.

If it was a chronometer,then most definitely.but seems this is not the case,but only contacting longines for an extract from the archives would confirm this.
Edited:
 
Yves-
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Longines' standards being rather high, doubtfully this was labelled a chronometre. If you're a gambler: look you stand to win financially possibly. However, i don't know the circumstances of the sale so i can't estimate it's integrity. Have a nice sunday
 
E
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Yves- Yves-
Longines' standards being rather high, doubtfully this was labelled a chronometre. If you're a gambler: look you stand to win financially possibly. However, i don't know the circumstances of the sale so i can't estimate it's integrity. Have a nice sunday

Thank you again for your help,its much appreciated!
 
Dan S
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Quite an interesting old Longines, and could be fun to have as a curiosity. You can of course ask Longines for historical information if you have questions. Given the condition of the dial and the small size, the value will be low regardless of the history, but that shouldn't stop you from adding it to your collection if it appeals to you.
 
DirtyDozen12
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This is a really neat piece, thank you for sharing it.

The first point to address is the "5 ADJ." marking. I have seen this marking on a number of watches (I have a 10.68Z) that were originally invoiced to a number of different countries (e.g. China, Canada, Germany). In my experience, these watches are not described as chronometers in Longines' archive so I do not consider them to be chronometers. Still, I find them intriguing as the archive does mention this "5 ADJ." marking in association with certain watches.

The second point to address is the cursive signature on the dial. Normally, Longines from the late 1930s do not have cursive signatures on their dials. However, there were exceptions (e.g. ref. 3582, other isolated examples). In my opinion, the dial of the watch in question looks original. The dial is uncommon, not only for its cursive signature, but for its combination of raised hour markers and black color.

A third point to address is the case-back markings. The markings found on the inside of the case-back are as expected. On the other hand, the cursive "Longines" marking on the outside of the case-back is uncommon. I have seen this marking on a few examples before.

A fourth point to address is the hands. To me, the gold-toned hour and minute hands appear appropriate for the period and dial design. The second hand is unusual both for its design (usually a circular counterpoise not oblong) and color (usually not red). Though unusual, red second hands are not unheard of on Longines from this period (e.g. a ref. 5193 invoiced to Egypt). Given the overall originality and condition of the watch, as well as the design and other anomalous attributes, I think that the red second hand could be original.

To tie everything together, below is a Longines with the same "5 ADJ." marking on its movement, a cursive signature on its dial, and a cursive "Longines" marking on its case-back. This watch was invoiced to Maier of China in June of 1939.

dial.JPG 232.JPG 12121.JPG 22.JPG 5 adj.JPG upload_2022-4-10_12-21-39.png


Regarding the price, while 650 GBP is not a bargain, I do not think that it is exorbitant either. The demand for 1930s and 1940s Longines is quite high, and examples in stainless steel with original black dials are not common.
 
DirtyDozen12
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P.S. When I wrote that Longines from the 1930s and 1940s with stainless steel cases and original black dials are not common, I should have specified that examples from the 1930s (or pre-6'000'000 serial number) are not common. There are a quite a few examples from the 1940s but they usually have radium dials and come in screw-back cases.
 
E
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
P.S. When I wrote that Longines from the 1930s and 1940s with stainless steel cases and original black dials are not common, I should have specified that examples from the 1930s (or pre-6'000'000 serial number) are not common. There are a quite a few examples from the 1940s but they usually have radium dials and come in screw-back cases.
Thank you very much for all your information,much appreciated! The rectangular watch certainly shares important details with the watch that I am look at.

I have just sent a message to longines,and knowing how good their staff in archives are,I should get a reply within a few day,and will let you know the reply.
 
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