Thanks for sharing, was this the same watch shared in a thread titled:
My Grandfather's 1938 13ZN Mono-pusher?

https://omegaforums.net/threads/my-grandfathers-1938-13zn-mono-pusher.107001/

 

Yes!

 

This dial mark, and the wear of the “9,” suggest it’s the same watch

 

These watches are quite uncommon. The mere fact that both have the same style of incorrect hour hand all but confirms that they are the same. The flaws noted above confirm without a doubt.

 

We concluded last time that those are cut fixed bars. Too thick for female bars.

 

Greeting and salutations Omega Forum folks! Yes indeed, that was me and my watch on Antiques Roadshow this past Monday evening. The details initially discussed during my original post and those reviewed during the appraisal on the show differ due to further investigation on the watch within my family. From a timeline perspective, it made more sense chronologically that my great-grandfather purchased the watch, due to the nature of his work. At the time he was a salesman of the felt sleeves that go over the large drums used in the paper manufacturing process. His territory was the Southeastern United States. He did very well in his industry, which allowed him to take on various hobbies (photography, hunting and antiques collecting) and travel quite extensively .That being said, the two plausible theories of how it came into our family are that he either travelled to Cuba on leisure and purchased it directly from the Cuervo jeweler (co-brand on the dial) or that he purchased it at an antiques shop/flea market in the South during one of his business trips. My mother recalled that he was know for returning from business trips with "trinkets" (e.g. a Tiffany Silverware set, also in my possession now) fairly regularly. Regardless of its initial procurement, at one point it did belong to my grandfather, so the title of my original post is not wholly inaccurate.

I'd like to thank all those who commented in my original post, for providing insight on the watch, advisement on next steps, and the kind words of appreciation that only watch enthusiasts would understand. Appearing on the Antiques Roadshow was a fun and unique experience and hopefully I didn't come off looking and sounding too much like a doof. Several of the appraisers looked at the watch and all agreed that the fixed bars were indeed cut at some point, most likely to remove a worn leather band. What I find interesting is that the appraiser made no mention of the mis-matched hour hand as some have indicated on my original post and this one as well. As I reflect on the filming of the appraisal, we actually shot about ten minutes of content, that was then edited down to roughly 3.5 minutes, so he very well may have mentioned that and it just slipped my mind... Not that I really care too much, but that appraiser, Peter Planes was the same gentleman who appraised a Rolex Daytona for $500-750k on an earlier episode of Antiques Roadshow. Last night, I watched a Youtube video where certain aficionados have contested his appraisal of that watch as being "new old stock," when there were clear indications of wear and use in their opinion. At the end of the day, Mr. Planes knows more about time pieces than me, and has a well-versed collection of peers to confer with. After the filming, we spoke for another 15 minutes, he introduced me to some of his colleagues and we even took a few photos together. All in all, I am just grateful for the opportunity to share the story, enjoy the experience, and to learn more about the watch. Thanks again to you all and for a great forum like this one!

Cheers,

River McK

 

This could be for myriad reasons: it went unnoticed, it was noticed but not deemed salient, it was noticed but not identified as incorrect. I think it is safe to assume that the appraiser does not specialize in vintage Longines, as few watch sellers/dealers/experts do.

 

@DirtyDozen12, all valid points! I wish those that pointed out the hands as being mid-matched could provide visual aids as to what the correct hands do in fact look like. I understand this is a unique piece, but wouldn’t Longines have used similar hands on other steel cased monopushers of that vintage, movement, etc.? Pardon my naivety for asking, but surely there must be an representative image out there somewhere with similar blue hands, right?

 

Again, what an incredible story @River McK , and I sure hope that you will be able to keep it in your family!!

 

Photo from: https://sabiwatches.com/product/1937-longines-13zn-chronograph-ref-3721

 

For those who can’t get the PBS link to play, the whole episode is currently sitting on YouTube. The section with the Longines starts at 8:20.

 

@River McK ..I must confess that I almost snorted my beer when your said you guessed it was worth $10k. If it had been Pawn Stars and not PBS, they would have had you. Anyway, I hope you get it serviced, drilled for spring bars and on a nice strap or bracelet. Here is a Longines hands chart.

 

I will say that this chart looks to be quite a bit later than the 13ZN being discussed, judging by the Conquest reference. However, the original hands were likely leaf-style.

 

It's hard to imagine any watch expert not noticing that the hands were of totally different styles, or not thinking it's important. When you see cut bars and mismatched hands, you know the watch has been tampered with. I would guess that the show didn't want to tell that story.

 

I agree.