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ghwatch
·I have been very lucky these past several months when it comes to rare pre-WWII vintage military watches. Some of you may recall that a couple months ago I found a Hanhart KM Cal.40 Monopusher Chronograph which I wrote about here: http://omegaforums.net/threads/new-arrival-hanhart-km-wwii-kriegsmarine-cal-40-monopusher.14286/
The Hanhart I thought was a “fluke”, one of those lucky miracles that occur once in a year or two of vintage watch hunting… however miracles happen more often than we think:
A pre-WWII Longines-Wittnauer Weems Second Setting watch.
I found this in an obscure antique dealer here in Japan. The owner of the shop must have been 80+ years old, a white-haired gentleman that has been collecting watches for 30+ years. In his long collecting career he has only seen and bought 3 of these Weems’ and this is his last one.
I am not an expert on these early Longines, so for more about this watch please see this fantastic write-up I found: http://thesydneytarts.blogspot.jp/2012/03/rare-longines-wittnauer-second-setting.html
I’ve read that several of these Weems’ were imported by Japanese Imperial Navy personnel in the 40’s and have military markings on the back, but this one is unmarked. The seller told me that he had bought it in Japan many years ago, so perhaps this was intended for civilian use? We will probably never know but it is in fantastic condition so I assume was tucked away in a drawer for most of its life.
The revolving center a beautiful beige color, like an old manuscript. The blue steel breguet hands shine brightly against the white enamel dial...and those breguet numerals! The case is made of silver and is large, approx. 48mm and 15mm thick. The seller thinks this is an earlier version of this watch…the second setting “crown” is more like a small bar and was probably difficult to use with pilot’s gloves on. He thinks the later improved version came with the larger second setting crown for ease of setting.
However the most magical moment of discovering this watch was when the watch was opened. The silver caseback and dustcover (?) have a whitish shine to them that only comes with age. And when he removed the dustcover, I had a “time warp” moment...they definitely don’t make ‘em like they used to!
Both the dustcover and caseback have the serial #5272700 engraved inside them. Does anybody have a serial range to confirm the serial?
There was a poignant moment after we concluded the deal, the old man seemed to be saying goodbye to an old friend; a watch he would probably never see again.
Enjoy.
The Hanhart I thought was a “fluke”, one of those lucky miracles that occur once in a year or two of vintage watch hunting… however miracles happen more often than we think:
A pre-WWII Longines-Wittnauer Weems Second Setting watch.
I found this in an obscure antique dealer here in Japan. The owner of the shop must have been 80+ years old, a white-haired gentleman that has been collecting watches for 30+ years. In his long collecting career he has only seen and bought 3 of these Weems’ and this is his last one.
I am not an expert on these early Longines, so for more about this watch please see this fantastic write-up I found: http://thesydneytarts.blogspot.jp/2012/03/rare-longines-wittnauer-second-setting.html
I’ve read that several of these Weems’ were imported by Japanese Imperial Navy personnel in the 40’s and have military markings on the back, but this one is unmarked. The seller told me that he had bought it in Japan many years ago, so perhaps this was intended for civilian use? We will probably never know but it is in fantastic condition so I assume was tucked away in a drawer for most of its life.
The revolving center a beautiful beige color, like an old manuscript. The blue steel breguet hands shine brightly against the white enamel dial...and those breguet numerals! The case is made of silver and is large, approx. 48mm and 15mm thick. The seller thinks this is an earlier version of this watch…the second setting “crown” is more like a small bar and was probably difficult to use with pilot’s gloves on. He thinks the later improved version came with the larger second setting crown for ease of setting.
However the most magical moment of discovering this watch was when the watch was opened. The silver caseback and dustcover (?) have a whitish shine to them that only comes with age. And when he removed the dustcover, I had a “time warp” moment...they definitely don’t make ‘em like they used to!
Both the dustcover and caseback have the serial #5272700 engraved inside them. Does anybody have a serial range to confirm the serial?
There was a poignant moment after we concluded the deal, the old man seemed to be saying goodbye to an old friend; a watch he would probably never see again.
Enjoy.
