Hi Everyone, I just woke up to find I won this late-1950s Longines Conquest 9004 stainless which I had been greedily eyeing. What do you all think? Personally I love the dial design, the chunky but well-proportioned case, and the fact that this is from a period when Longines was making their own excellent movements, and before the belt-tightening of the quartz crisis. On the negative side, there are a couple of scratches on the dial and case, the case seems to be a bit overpolished. Any comments positive and/or negative would be welcome. For the moment, my main concern is finding an original signed crown to replace this later version. Do any of you know the best way for me to identify and locate a correct signed crown? I'm wondering whether I need to be searching only for "19ASD crown", or if this same crown might have been used on other models/movements. Thanks in advance, Ben
The things that stand out to me are that it’s been relumed (in the wrong spots) and the polish is quite heavy. The crown I don’t think will be too difficult with some patience, but I don’t think I’d personally spend the effort looking for a correct one on this example.
I think OPs dial has been refinished in it's entirety. Compare to these two excellent examples sold here on the forum. https://omegaforums.net/threads/195...-cal-19asd-ref-9004-very-clean-example.72085/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/195...4-superb-dial-original-cyclops-crystal.65055/
Thanks for the input! Would love to see an original example so I could compare original lume with this one, and see exactly what you're referring to. The seller specializes in watches, has been on eBay for 8 years and has 100% feedback. When I asked, he said "The dial is definitely original", but perhaps this is wrong about this? I skipped many others with redials... If I did want to find a correct crown, should I be looking specifically for any 19ASD crown, or would others work? - Ben
Again much appreciated! Just won today, so if the consensus is that this is indeed a redial, I may have to cancel the sale...
Lume spots look new and round and do not match the lume on the hands (dirty, crumbling), but the plating has deteriorated on the indexes. The patina looks wrong to me, hard to be sure on pictures, I smell a rat...
Thanks very much, I have contacted the seller again pointing out these issues and asking for more details.
As stated above, dial appears refinished, case is polished, and crown is incorrect. There are a number of issues with the dial, e.g. "Automatic" font, width of circular brushed motif, incorrect lume plot design. Unfortunately, experience does not necessarily translate to expertise.
Well after your useful posts, and after comparing this to an original Longines 9004 catalog photo (attached), it seems that indeed this is a redial on an otherwise very nice watch. Another red flag is that the placement of the darker, contrasting color band in relation to the indices in this example does not match the placement of the color band as shown in the catalog, or other examples found online. I have requested a refund and cancellation of the sale and will report back. Very much appreciated.
Well, thanks to your knowledge and assistance, it looks like I dodged a bullet. I gave all this information to the seller who has just canceled the sale and refunded my $750. It's a shame it turned out like this; I think the 9004 is one of Longines' nicest-looking models. But I'll take an unpleasant truth over an attractive lie any day. The search continues! If any of you have any leads (and aren't buying it yourself) please let me know. Thanks, Ben
. You should really work this stuff out BEFORE you bid anything... doesn't really make sense to complain about how the dial looks after the fact...
Hindsight is 20/20. I am new to vintage Longines and had already cross-referenced the movement, caseback model number and some other details. That, plus the seller’s perfect record and assurance of original dial seemed like enough due diligence to bid. Very grateful to all of you pointing out the issues with this watch; I’ll know better what to look out for on the next one.
Yes it's the redial, the dead giveaway is that the brushing area is too thin. The example X350 XJR posted belong to me if you need anything, let me know, glad to help.
Very nice of you, honestly without all of your answers, the watch would have already been in the mail to me, which would’ve been a waste of time for the seller and me. You’re talking about the brushing of the paint on the darker contrast stripe, correct? I think you mean that it’s too faint and inconsistent? After looking at the dial more closely and comparing it to known legitimate examples and the old Longines catalog page, I could also see that the contrast stripe on this example was positioned incorrectly relative to the applied indices. So much to learn!
Very useful, thanks, because I was suspicious from the beginning about the lume in the OP's example but I didn't think dial was entirely repainted, font seemed totally legit to me...
The dial font is very close, but just slightly off. Not the same thickness of the original and is not totally level.
Agree with @X350 XJR The dial looks suspect, obviously .... Hi @Magnix Since you put your hat in the ring here ... what’s the story with this circled hour marker? Since all others are dark ....and did I miss this in the FS section ?? Thanks
This. If it was me on the other end I’d be pretty pissed off, especially with people’s financial situation at the moment. The pictures look good enough to make an informed decision and, if you failed to do the required research, I think it’s incumbent on you to carry out your responsibility as the winning bidder. You could have asked the seller questions or posted it here for advice. Sorry if this sounds harsh but you shouldn’t be bidding on items without an understanding that you are responsible for paying if you win.