What vintage Longines is on your wrist today?

BlueHands · Jul 13, 2023

Reference seen in a 1938s Longines catalogue, here luminous dial and feuille hands

Spruce · Jul 13, 2023

BlueHands
Reference seen in a 1938s Longines catalogue, here luminous dial and feuille hands

Your's is in great condition - particularly for an 85 year old watch 😀

BlueHands · Jul 13, 2023

Spruce
Your's is in great condition - particularly for an 85 year old watch 😀

Yes the case is very sharp, thank you.

size11s · Jul 13, 2023

BlueHands
Reference seen in a 1938s Longines catalogue, here luminous dial and feuille hands

A stunningly handsome watch. Congrats.

BlueHands · Jul 13, 2023

size11s
A stunningly handsome watch. Congrats.

Thank you, very kind. They don't come along so often.

septentrio · Jul 13, 2023

BlueHands
Reference seen in a 1938s Longines catalogue, here luminous dial and feuille hands

I was tempted when I saw it on IG. Gorgeous watch.

DirtyDozen12 · Jul 13, 2023

BlueHands
Reference seen in a 1938s Longines catalogue, here luminous dial and feuille hands

Nice watch! I recognize this one. I know that the most recent seller described the dial and hands as luminous, but they do not look to have radium to my eyes. As far as I can tell, there is thick white ink that has turned a bit yellow over time. I wonder if my assessment fits with your in-person observations?

BlueHands · Jul 14, 2023

DirtyDozen12
Nice watch! I recognize this one. I know that the most recent seller described the dial and hands as luminous, but they do not look to have radium to my eyes. As far as I can tell, there is thick white ink that has turned a bit yellow over time. I wonder if my assessment fits with your in-person observations?

Thank you, it is hard to say, the dial is in very good condition, maybe the lume also. I haven't seen white hands on a Longines watch in person.
So I tried to took two more detailed photos and wait for your experienced eye 😉

DirtyDozen12 · Jul 14, 2023

BlueHands
Thank you, it is hard to say, the dial is in very good condition, maybe the lume also. I haven't seen white hands on a Longines watch in person.
So I tried to took two more detailed photos and wait for your experienced eye 😉

Thank you for taking and sharing these close-up photos of the dial and hands! From these photos, I would say that the hour markers do not look like radium, rather, they look like ink. The surface appears to be smooth and cracked. This is typical of ink from the period (see first photo below). In contrast, radium has a rougher, almost porous or granular appearance (see second photo below).

Source: I took this photo of a Girard Perregaux.

Source: I took this photo of a Longines.

As a side note, Longines was already offering watches with radium dials and "open" hands prior to the production of the watch in question (see a 1931 catalog below). By "open", I mean hands with voids to be filled with luminous compound. Given that "open" was also the dominant luminous hand design from the 1940s and onwards, I would be somewhat surprised if only certain black dials used radium-coated feuille hands instead.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BKdfppbjBWX/

DirtyDozen12 · Jul 14, 2023

P.S. @Syrte I would be interested to hear your thoughts on these black dials with white (or luminous?) hour markers as I think you have seen one or two in person.

@Modest_Proposal Maybe you have seen some black pocket watch dials with white ink (or radium?) hour markers?

Radiumpassion · Jul 14, 2023

A geiger counter could give us the answer ::rimshot::

Syrte · Jul 14, 2023

@DirtyDozen12 I have three watches of that approximate era that have white markings and numerals on a black dial and they’re definitely not luminous.

DirtyDozen12 · Jul 14, 2023

Syrte
@DirtyDozen12 I have three watches of that approximate era that have white markings and numerals on a black dial and they’re definitely not luminous.

Thanks for your response! I remembered the two larger ones but not the smaller one. Fantastic watches!

Syrte · Jul 14, 2023

DirtyDozen12
Thanks for your response! I remembered the two larger ones but not the smaller one. Fantastic watches!

Thank you 😀 I like the tiny one a lot.

DirtyDozen12 · Jul 14, 2023

Syrte
Thank you 😀 I like the tiny one a lot.

Looks great on that red strap.

BlueHands · Jul 15, 2023

Thank you all for shining a light on that. As said, this is the first watch for me in such a dial/hand configuration. I was irritated by the hands. They look like silver hands with a lume on - good to see on the first photo. The hands on Syrte's watch on the right side, 3rd photo, look complete white without the edges of paint/lume.
The small second hand seems to be painted also. It would be absolutely unusual to have such a style of hand lumed.
They are always in a squelette style. So I think I need no Geiger counter to answer this question further....

DirtyDozen12 · Jul 15, 2023

BlueHands
Thank you all for shining a light on that. As said, this is the first watch for me in such a dial/hand configuration. I was irritated by the hands. They look like silver hands with a lume on - good to see on the first photo. The hands on Syrte's watch on the right side, 3rd photo, look complete white without the edges of paint/lume.
The small second hand seems to be painted also. It would be absolutely unusual to have such a style of hand lumed.
They are always in a squelette style. So I think I need no Geiger counter to answer this question further....

Below are a few more examples with what appear to be painted white hands and white ink dial printing.

Source: https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/longines-ref-3494-lot-360-87?browse_all=1&page=1&q=LONGINES