Hi all, Could you help me with an advice on this Longines - is it authentic or franken and do you spot any general flaws (other than the patina on the dial which I don't mind in this case)? I notice that the caliber is 19AS which seems pretty common and the model is 2030 SW. Unfortunately, could not find similar items with that number while browsing online. Does anyone also has an idea of the pricing of such piece? Couldn't find past auctions on ebay of similar items.. Many thanks!
It's going to be hard to authenticate this one, as it is not a Swiss model. This is a typical Longines-Wittnauer, made for the U.S. market locally by their agent and partner there, the Longines-Wittnauer company. As such, Longines themselves will only have information on the movement, but not on the case or model number. Your best hope to identify it is from old jewellers advertisements. That said, it looks typical for watches made in the U.S. in ca. 1955 (which is the date of the inscription on the back), and it seems to be in decent condition at first glance. Some odd scratches on the rotor, service marks from two watchmakers on the inside caseback, I would say everything else looks original to me. I have seen this "Automatic" script on several others from the time, and don't think this is redialled (although I'm ready to stand corrected, if wrong...). Edit: the "2030SW" might be an identifier for the correct crystal to be used, if I remember correctly - so not a "model number" per se.
Thanks both - very helpful. I assumed that it might be for the US market due to the 17 jewels (I read somewhere that most watches made for the US market had at most 17 jewels). Is around USD 300 a good price? I am a bit conscious to not overpay on this one.
It s a nice 35mm??? Longines with "history" on the case-back. Enjoy - price is OK and even a nice x-mas gift for your girl-friend
You are right about the 17 jewel limitation - import laws for the U.S. said that watches with more jewels would have been taxed at a much higher rate. Same goes for movements that were already cased, or adjusted for accuracy - which is why even prestigious makers like Jaeger-LeCoultre (just "LeCoultre" in the U.S.) only imported "unadjusted" movements into the U.S. - and why a lot of companies had their own local counterparts, timing and casing watches on American soil. "Unadjusted" and a three-letter "import code" on the movement are a really nice & easy way to spot movements made for the U.S. market. This practice persisted at least until the late 1960s.
I have a similar 19s in a different case. Paid around $250. Movement is clean, but the face of your watch is in better condition. I
