Stunning Longines 30mm Tre Tacche

[jbtb077]

I stumbled upon this stunning watch in person recently (it looks even better in person!).

It comes with a very high price tag of about $2300 USD. I was curious to see what members on this forum think of this watch. The silver dial is extremely attractive, almost flawless. It doesn't appear to be redialed, and the case also looks to be in original, unpolished condition.

Thoughts on the piece? Is the price justified? I've been searching for a 30mm Tre Tacche with no radium, and they're really hard to come by nowadays in this condition. Extremely temped to purchase....

 

[Tony C.]

I'm not convinced that the dial is original, and also doubt the originality of the crown. What about the condition of the case back?

In terms of value, even if it were all original, Japan is likely the only market in which such a small watch would command anything close to that.

Edited: Oct 8, 2023

 

[jbtb077]

@Tony C. Thanks for all your help! The seller claims that this is a reference 1737 (but isn't that the order number?), from the late 1930. 3777 looks like the correct reference. I found a similar watch on sale from a while back, but it indeed looks like the crown is different. https://benjaminmarcello.nl/product/longines-tre-tacche-cal-10-68z-1939-longines-extract/

IIUC, some of these Longines had crown variations?

Here is the case back:

 

[Tony C.]

You're welcome. The patina on the dial of the one to which you linked suggests originality. A dial as clean as the first one is a red flag, in my view, and especially given that the contrasting condition case indicates that the watch was well worn.

1737 is not the reference number. 3777 may have been a reference in the French market, but they were not consistent worldwide.

 

[DirtyDozen12]

I am adding photos of the example from Benjamin Marcello for posterity.

In my view, the example from Private Eyes looks good. Aspects of the dial such as the signature and sub-dial are consistent with original Fluckiger dials from the period (see example below). The hands also look appropriate, in my view. Given how clean the dial is, and the substantial price, I would be inclined to contact Longines in order to inquire if they have any information in their archive about how the dial should look (e.g., silver-toned).

Regarding the crown, I am struggling to discern if it should have slightly sharper serrations. Also, I am not certain when these 30 mm tre tacches stopped being supplied with the "millerighe" crown that is depicted in the advert that @Tony C. posted above. A 5'564'xxx serial number might be on the cusp.

The number "1737" is, indeed, the order number. And "3777" should be the reference number. This was the reference for these early 30 mm tre tacches, at least the ones with flat bezels and sub-seconds.

While the price seems high, to me, it may take a while to find another example that is in similar condition for substantially less money.

Source: https://benjaminmarcello.nl/product/longines-tre-tacche-cal-10-68z-1939-longines-extract/

 

[Syrte]

IMHO very nice. Way more expensive than one would have bought on the open market but not all too surprising as @DirtyDozen12 indicated: go find another like it, and once they land in dealers hands they’re always more expensive. That’s how the game goes.

 

[Syrte]

Looking again, I’m led to wonder why the numbers on the lug and the case back have been hidden.
Are we sure this is from Private Eyes? Those black dots are very fishy. Non matching numbers would kill the value of the watch.
Also I’m led to wonder whether the pictures reflect accurately what appears to be some pitting on the back of the lug.
Who the seller is, and whether those pictures are honest, should be a very important factor in assessing a purchase.
We should never overlook Tony’s instinct on any watch 😉

 

[DirtyDozen12]

Syrte

Looking again, I’m led to wonder why the numbers on the lug and the case back have been hidden.
Are we sure this is from Private Eyes? Those black dots are very fishy. Non matching numbers would kill the value of the watch.
Also I’m led to wonder whether the pictures reflect accurately what appears to be some pitting on the back of the lug.
Who the seller is, and whether those pictures are honest, should be a very important factor in assessing a purchase.
We should never overlook Tony’s instinct on any watch 😉

Here is the watch on Private Eyes' website: https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/5642
I think it is standard practice for them to cover certain numbers on their watches. It would be good to confirm that the numbers match, though.

 

[jbtb077]

Syrte

Looking again, I’m led to wonder why the numbers on the lug and the case back have been hidden.
Are we sure this is from Private Eyes?

Yes.

I reached out to the seller here in Tokyo for more information, and they told me that the caseback is a replacement and so the numbers will not match.The mismatch between the dial's age and the case's condition seems to be explained by this. The rest of the watch is indeed original, and the dial is untouched. After hearing this information, I decided to pass on the watch, especially at this price.

Thanks all!

 

[DirtyDozen12]

@jbtb077 Thanks for the update. Quite remarkable that the asking price is $2300 USD given the non-original case-back.

 

[Syrte]

Non matching case back would be a hard pass for me. I could imagine someone falling for it if it were really cheap— but it’s not.