It's safe to say that the '50s Longines Conquest were among the very best of the higher production automatic watches produced during that period. They were natural competitors with OMEGA Constellation, though I have long held the view that they were more more attractively designed. I am offering an honest, original example of a ref. 9000, powered by a cal.19 AS. The watch is in very good condition throughout, and I believe it to be fully original, with the possible exception of the crystal (which could use a good polishing). There are signs of regular use on the case, and patina on the dial, but they are both attractive to my eye, and there are no significant flaws. This particular example employs my favorite variation, namely a steel case and gold dial furniture. I have always found that contrast to be both interesting and attractive. The yellow gold markers are in excellent condition, as the high gold content allowed them to remain corrosion-free. The hour and minute hands have also aged very well, but the second hand does show a fair bit of corrosion. The original lume is intact. The unpolished case measures 35mm, excluding the signed crown, but wears a bit larger due to its substantial thickness. The original chamfers are intact. There is a small gouge on the inside edge of the upper right lug, and some small scratches resulting from normal use on the upper case. The case back is well-preserved, with just a trace of the original green enamel remaining on the iconic fish button. Unfortunately, the case back is too tight for me to open with the tools that I have available, but I will guarantee that the cal. 19AS is minimally in "very good" condition. It is functioning properly, but I have no idea of the last date of service, and would strongly recommend one for regular wear. Incidentally, I consider the 19AS to be perhaps the most attractive of Longines' movements, and it is widely considered to have been of very high-quality. I ask €750, which will include EMS shipping in the EU. Those outside of the EU, shipping options can be discussed. Bank transfer preserred. This is a very fair price for a nice, genuine example of an early Conquest. There are some others available at the moment, but all at higher, and mostly significantly higher prices. Some of them have originality issues, as well. To save readers the search, here are a few: nice example, but nearly 3x my asking price: https://www.visionvintagewatches.com/product-page/1956-longines-conquest-9000-2 much more expensive, and with a poor replacement crown: https://www.ebay.com/itm/114025226623Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network a decent example, but more corrosion on the hands: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/C-1956-V...ch-cal-19AS-ref-9000-8-in-steel-/363121285796Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network nice example, but ~twice the price: https://www.chrono24.com/longines/longines-conquest-automatic-9000-16-vintage--id19204322.htm Here are the photos of the watch that I am selling:
Probably my favorite 1950s design. I might add from personal experience that the optical seconds hand issue is extremely commonplace in these references and should not deter you if you're interested.
Agree on the beauty of the dial design. If I didn’t already buy one recently (for a significantly higher price) I‘d be jumping right on it. GLWS!