In need of some TLC ;-) Poor dial, average case but matching caseback, clean correct movement and as a bonus: KNIL markings!

 

Very worthy of some TLC. Did you just acquire it? Looking forward to seeing it after it's restored.

 

Picked it up yesterday

 

I probably couldn't afford it but if you ever decided to sell, dibs

 

Not a bad one at all. I have been looking for one like this. Next in line.. DIBS

 

A worthy survivor. Keep us posted on your efforts to rehab it.

Had to look up KNIL to find out its significance.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Lon...aAhVr6YMKHQwWCowQsAR6BAgAECk&biw=1269&bih=827

 

Congratulations. I'm sure it will clean up beautifully.

 

Would love to see the case back

 

I agree. Flip it over!

 

Here you go

 

Does anyone know what are the extra markings on the case back ?
Are they also inside the case back ?
Cheers.
Mounir

 

Nice crisp markings. Thanks

 

According to google it would be the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. Problem is that Indonesia was independent in 1949 and that the watch should be from around 1953 or amI totally wrong ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Netherlands_East_Indies_Army

http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/arc...c01:4.c02:2.c03:713./open/c01:4.c02:2.c03:713.

 

Well: (imho)
23088 is Longines batch number
2186 is number within batch. Also punched in lug.
Those 2 numbers are also punched in the inside of the caseback
F5910 is army number
KNIL is abbreviation
4617 is KNIL number

The watch is (without any doubt) a British WWII watch which after the war was (re)used by the KNIL/Dutch Army

 

Yes, but these Longines were made after 1945.

 

No they were not. See i.e. http://chronocentric.com/forums/chronotrader/index.cgi?md=read;id=34240
Serial mentioned there is 6.92m, (mine is 6.97m). Delivered 17 July 1945.
Serial 6.93m, delivered 28 July 1945: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs...ement-6933330-caseback-1050-f4774-824533.html


Interesting fact(?) in this ad: 'The WWW watches normally show 2 numbers : a civil number, and a military number. The latter starts with a capital letter which defines the supplier (the F identifies Longines), followed by a 1 to 5 digits number. In your case, F4774. This was used by the army to register to which individual soldier each watch had been issued. A curious detail : the difference between the military number and the civil number is always the same for a given watch brand. In the case of Longines, this difference is of 3724 (4774 – 1050). The watches WWW ordered by the British army were allocated to the “General Service”. They were not worn by all soldiers but were reserved for special tasks or units (radio telegraphists, artillery, engineers corps, for example).'

 

What I don’t understand, is that if the watch was made in 1945 and Indonesia became independent in 1949( meaning the end of KNIL ?), why would the MOD get rid of a watch that was just delivered or was it transferred later ?
I am wondering about the journey from one army to the other.

 

The KNIL was the Dutch Army for Netherlands East Indies. When Indonesia became independent the KNIL ceased to exist.

 

The MoD had a surplus of watches and the war was essentially over. No reason to keep them.

https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs...s-specially-commissioned-for-the-british-army

 

Beautiful watch, I bet it cleans up very nicely.