so...Fab Suisse, baby! Invoiced on 7th June 1944 to Longines' agents in France; 33mm; cal. 12.68N; 16 jewels.
Way to light a fire under the collective Longines butt! This example looks fantastic. I don't know what it is (proportions? ratios?) but I so much prefer a Longines case shape like this over any other manufacturer (although some Omega Seamasters come close). The early fifties Conquest/All-Guard is like this for me. But look at this piece! The beefy lugs, the sexy curve of the case-to-lugs. Oops, turning into watch porn, let's cool down!!!
That's a really nice example. The case looks in excellent shape! Fab Suisse is a nice feature as well. I'm starting to get really interested in these early Longines...But been playing safe with Omegas for the time being..
Thanks guys! There is actually a very strong following amongst (especially Italian) collectors for this type of case. The larger ones (35mm+ often go for serious money, but even this one, at a smaller diameter, wears bigger because of the substantial case. I generally don't get too excited about double-branding on the dial, etc., but I do have a soft spot for the Fab Suisse dials, and own quite a few. Cheers, Tony C.
A simple combination of time and perseverance. More specifically, an Italian collector was thinning his collection, and I was in the right place at the right time.