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Longines Special, newly aquired - update, pics!

Maskelyne
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- Hi folks. I just aquired this Longines Special and I would appreciate what you have to say about it. I have not yet seen the movement but it should be the 27M movement. (My main interest is in marine chronometers.) It has a so called "sei tacche" back. Case is 33-34 mm and I asses the watch as all genuine, but I am no expert on these.
Maybe it has been relumed. I intend to change the crystal and replace the strap.

Here is a picture of the aquired watch. I also post a picture of a similar one in much worse condition.

Longines Special.jpg


And here is the watch with a deteriorated dial (no longer in my possession)

Longines-cal-27M,-vit-tavla-33mm kopiera.jpg
 
DirtyDozen12
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A very nice example. Maybe hands were re-lumed but they look good. Crown is the earlier style so watch is probably pre-1950. Thanks for sharing.
 
SportChief
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janice&fred janice&fred
Boy I learn something new every day. To me they both look like redials.

I've never heard of the Longines "Special" until today so my first instinct would have been a redail, but they do appear to be authentic after looking at similar watches online.
 
DirtyDozen12
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janice&fred janice&fred
Boy I learn something new every day. To me they both look like redials.
Indeed, these "Special" dials tend to lack the precise style of most, earlier sei tacche models.
 
SportChief
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
Indeed, these "Special" dials tend to lack the precise style of most, earlier sei tacche models.

Do you know what the "special" meant? Were they a more inexpensive model? Reminds me of fountain pen collecting. The Parker 51 Special had a steel alloy nib instead of 14k and a cheaper cap.
 
DirtyDozen12
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SportChief SportChief
Do you know what the "special" meant? Were they a more inexpensive model? Reminds me of fountain pen collecting. The Parker 51 Special had a steel alloy nib instead of 14k and a cheaper cap.
Most I've seen were originally invoiced to Sweden. So maybe it was a marketing thing like Omega's "Suveran" and "Officer". All seem to have cal. 27M (a slimmer version of the 12.68Z) so I suppose that they could have been marketed as "special" in that regard.
 
SportChief
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
Most I've seen were originally invoiced to Sweden. So maybe it was a marketing thing like Omega's "Suveran" and "Officer". All seem to have cal. 27M (a slimmer version of the 12.68Z) so I suppose that they could have been marketed as "special" in that regard.

Thank you. That makes sense as Longines seemed to have a habit of that, hence the "Sport Chief," which seemed to be a line that was only offered in Sweden and Norway.
 
Maskelyne
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I appreciate all answers, dear fellow forum members! I have also seen Special watches invoiced to Sweden. I think these watches were mainly sold in Sweden. I remember that the distributor in Sweden in those day´s was a company called Terasse.
Longines.jpg


Here is another Longines Special recently sold on the forum. Photographs by tomvox 1

Source: https://omegaforums.net/threads/vin...”-cal-27m-sei-tacche-black-radium-dial.62557/
430972-494b8da07313479e5a85c77ae5f1746a.jpg


And another similar one but with no Special on the dial...

Longines-2.jpg
Edited:
 
Maskelyne
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And here is the back of the recent aquired Longines Special. The DNA is not mine as I have not yet recieved the watch 😁

Longines-Special-baksida.jpg
 
Dan S
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In some cases, I have seen the word "special" on the dial when the movement has a lower jewel count and/or more basic (i.e. money-saving) features. I don't know if it's completely accurate, but in the Ranfft archive, the cal 27M is listed with 15 jewels, while the cal 27.0 has 17 jewels and has a Breguet hairspring. Yes, the 27M is also thinner.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Longines_27M
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Longines_27_0
 
imfagent449
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@Maskelyne - I have exactly the same model as the one in the picture - I used to wear it every day when studying.. The same squarish numerals. I always wondered why it has squarish numerals. It seems to have sold for a lot of money.

I wish I remembered what condition mine was in.
 
Maskelyne
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Dan S Dan S
In some cases, I have seen the word "special" on the dial when the movement has a lower jewel count and/or more basic (i.e. money-saving) features. I don't know if it's completely accurate, but in the Ranfft archive, the cal 27M is listed with 15 jewels, while the cal 27.0 has 17 jewels and has a Breguet hairspring. Yes, the 27M is also thinner.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Longines_27M
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Longines_27_0

This gets exciting Dan and folks! Here is a picture of the movement (27M) and the belonging watch. Serial indicates circa 1951 and it has 17 jewels. Could there be a fault in Ranfft data.

Longines-Special,-27M.jpg
 
Maskelyne
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imfagent449 imfagent449
@Maskelyne - I have exactly the same model as the one in the picture - I used to wear it every day when studying.. The same squarish numerals. I always wondered why it has squarish numerals. It seems to have sold for a lot of money.

I wish I remembered what condition mine was in.

Pics please...
 
DirtyDozen12
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Maskelyne Maskelyne
Could there be a fault in Ranfft data.
Ranfft is more of a guide than a comprehensive catalog. The 27M can be found with either 15 or 17 jewels, as with most of Longines' time-only calibers. Cal. 27.O ("O" standing for "or") was reserved for solid gold cases and therefore had higher end features like the Breguet overcoil hairspring and 17 jewels.
 
Dan S
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Maskelyne Maskelyne
This gets exciting Dan and folks! Here is a picture of the movement (27M) and the belonging watch. Serial indicates circa 1951 and it has 17 jewels. Could there be a fault in Ranfft data.

Longines-Special,-27M.jpg

Oh well, so much for my idea. I'm not too surprised. It's pretty common to see variations of the same movement with different jewel counts, depending on when it was made, and to where it was exported. Roland's archive is an extraordinary piece of work, but it doesn't necessarily have every variation.
 
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