I was just browsing eBay US for Wittnauer watches. I was surprised by the sheer variation of dials - Guilloche dials in sunflower seed pattern, pie pans with exquisite textures, to name a few. To me, it almost looks like Longines had their largest market in the U.S. in the 50's. If you can accept a brand of lesser hype, this is worth checking out if you ask me.
It's fairly common knowledge that the USA was the largest market for Longines for much of the 20th century.
As every thread needs a picture, and I happen to be wearing my 1940s Wittnauer at this very moment...
I fell in love with these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-...ch-Waffle-pattern-dial-Longines/173305197748?Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gents-early-Wittnauer-all-stainless-windup-with-box/263328751450?Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
But sometimes they are more expensive than their Longines brethren ... But yes, I do like them a lot, and I have finally managed to get one like this
Got this from my old man. It’s a little rough and probably has never been serviced as it runs about an hour slow a day at times.
That was true of almost all of the Swiss manufacturers. These are the years right after WWII and the US was the only major country where a good portion of the people could afford luxury watches. While Longines and Wittnauer had the same importer to the US and were commonly controlled for most of the 20th century, they had separate factories in Switzerland and there was very little cross-pollination in the product lines. gatorcpa
True! And I even forgot to post my own Witty that I bought shortly after opening this thread in 2018. With thanks to @Duracuir1 for the buckle!
I've picked up a number of Wittnauers over the years...undervalued and underappreciated brand....here are a few, including a few works in progress....would love to see some more....
