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FS Outstanding early Vintage LONGINES Pink Gold Automatic

  1. neilp Jan 26, 2021

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    I purchased this watch on the forum about 5 years ago from JM251 who had recently acquired it from TonyC, but then found a grail so wanted to sell it. I have rarely worn this watch - maybe half a dozen times at most. The condition is just as it was when I purchased it.

    As TonyC is more knowledgeable and eloquent than I am, I am using his description from his original listing with his permission and the photos from the prior listing.


    "This one is a very uncommon and early cal. 22A Longines automatic. The unpolished, 34mm snap-back case is made of 18k pink gold, perhaps leaning a bit more towards red than pink. The case is exceptional in a couple of respects. First, the lugs are slightly curved and finely beveled. I have never seen this design on any watch, and they are both elegant and beautiful without being overly ornate. Secondly, the bezel, instead of laying flush with the side of the case, actually sits on the case, with 1-1.5mm of the case extending outwards underneath it. This lends a very interesting, unusual, and attractive complexity to the watch, similar in some respects to more obvious stepped cases (which are valued highly, as it happens, by vintage Longines collectors).

    In terms of condition, the case looks really good to the naked eye, but under magnification a few small flaws in the form of nicks and very light scratches can be discerned. All but one of the few, small nicks are on the back side of the lugs, and could easily be polished out if desired without any meaningful loss of integrity to the case. I would be inclined to leave it alone, and expect that most collectors (and even dealers) would do the same, as the flaws are arguably trivial.

    The dial is generally in excellent shape, though a couple of tiny spots can be discerned under magnification. The applied gold markers are nearly flawless. There is a slight touch of discoloration to the hour and minute hands that can be seen under magnification, but it does not distract to my (naked) eye, and is typical of the vast majority of older vintage watches, as the gold content used in the hands tended to be lower than other parts of the watch. The design is fairly typical of late '40s and '50s dress watches, though the word "automatic", placed with the help of a fine curve above the sub-dial, is not very common, especially on vintage Longines.

    The cal. 22A was Longines' first automatic. They began production in 1945, and this one dates to 1948. The movement is in excellent condition, and in fact I've personally never seen one in such good condition, though to be fair I haven't really held that many in my hand.

    My broad view of the watch is that it is a very attractive, and exceptionally well preserved early automatic. It is clearly a very uncommon reference, and, as mentioned, I have never before seen this type of case. It wears a bit larger than 34mm in my view, but take into account when viewing the photos below that my wrists are small. While it is a bit of a cliché, I guarantee that the watch will look even better in person!"


    I'm uncertain of what to ask for this great watch. I think $1850 (Now reduced to $1750) is a fair price and at that number, I will cover shipping in the USA. I have references that I can share and I'm happy to answer any questions either here or on the phone.

    Thanks for looking!

    View attachment 1150874 View attachment 1150875 View attachment 1150876 View attachment 1150877 View attachment 1150878 View attachment 1150879 View attachment 1150880 View attachment 1150881 View attachment 1150882
     
    longines1.jpg longines2.jpg longines3.jpg longines4.jpg longines5.jpg longines6.jpg longines7.jpg longines8.jpg thumbnail (1).jpg
    Edited Jan 30, 2021
    Eve, Vegarius, qboa and 11 others like this.
  2. neilp Jan 26, 2021

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    Adding some current photos
    IMG_2568.jpg IMG_2565.jpg IMG_2567.jpg
     
    Edited Jan 26, 2021
    Spruce, Deafboy, Faz and 5 others like this.
  3. neilp Jan 28, 2021

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    Post-approval bump. Thanks for looking!
     
    Zdzislaw likes this.
  4. Zdzislaw Jan 30, 2021

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    Very nice and GLWS! ;)
     
  5. Fritz genuflects before the mighty quartzophobe Jan 30, 2021

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    Beautiful watch... that should move quickly!
     
  6. neilp Jan 30, 2021

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    Adding some more pics that show the case back and sides. And a price drop to $1750 for a quick sale!
    back.jpg case side.jpg winder side.jpg
     
  7. neilp Jan 30, 2021

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    Now OHPF
     
    dougiedude, qboa, yako54 and 2 others like this.
  8. neilp Feb 2, 2021

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    Sold. Thanks OF!
     
    yako54, Tony C., DaveK and 1 other person like this.
  9. wagudc Feb 2, 2021

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    It's a special watch, congrats all around.