Catalogue record · Pocket watch
Longines High-Grade Pocket Watch
Partially verifiedA Swiss manufacture notable for one of the most complete and continuous archives of its own movement production, making individually documented dating unusually reliable for this maker.
Overview
Longines is well known among researchers for maintaining detailed production ledgers that record the type, destination and approximate date of individual movements by serial number, which the company has made accessible for many historical enquiries.
Its pocket watch production ranges from ordinary commercial-grade Lépine watches to chronometer-grade movements submitted to observatory trials and railway-authority timing services in several countries.
History
Founded in the Saint-Imier valley in the Bernese Jura in the mid-nineteenth century, Longines was among the first Swiss makers to bring movement production together in a single factory rather than relying wholly on the établissage system of dispersed outwork.
The firm's winged hourglass trademark was registered in the 1880s and is among the oldest trademarks in continuous use, reflecting Longines's early and sustained investment in brand identity alongside its production and timing-trial record.
Design
Standard Lépine architecture with keyless winding; higher grades show finer finishing and additional adjustment.
Longines' winged hourglass trademark, one of the oldest registered trademarks still in use, appears on dials and movements and assists identification.
Movement
Movement finishing and jewel count scale with grade; railway and chronometer-grade movements carry documented adjustment to position and temperature.
Case
Cases were both made in-house and supplied by outside casemakers depending on market and period; hallmarks assist in placing the case's origin and date.
Dial and hands
As with other Swiss high-grade dials of the period, enamel condition and originality are the main points of assessment.
Technical specifications
| Movement | Longines keyless lever movement, various calibres |
|---|---|
| Movement type | Keyless lever movement |
| Escapement | Swiss lever escapement |
| Jewels | 15 to 21 jewels in high-grade production |
| Winding and setting | Keyless stem-wind, stem-set |
| Size | Typical Swiss pocket-watch sizing for the period |
| Power reserve | Commonly around 40 hours |
| Frequency | Typically 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) |
| Accuracy | Longines maintained a strong observatory-trial record, and its higher grades were adjusted accordingly |
| Complications | Running seconds; chronograph and other complications in specific calibres |
| Escapement | Swiss lever |
| Winding | Keyless stem-wind, stem-set |
| Jewels | 15–21 by grade |
| Trademark | Winged hourglass |
Identification
- Movement signed Longines with the winged hourglass trademark and a serial number that can be checked against the maker's own production archive.
Variations
- Grades range from plain commercial Lépine watches to chronometer-grade and railway-timing movements.
- Cased and dialled for many different national markets, with corresponding variation in dial language and numerals.
Serial numbers and dating
- Longines's own archive, searchable by movement serial number, is an unusually reliable and directly documented dating resource for this maker.
Known examples and institutional holdings
- Longines chronometer-grade pocket watches with observatory trial results are documented in period trial publications and in the maker's own historical material.
Collecting
- Collected for reliable factory-archive dating as much as for the watches' own quality; the ability to obtain a documented production record is a genuine collecting advantage with this maker.
- No prices are given here.
Restoration and conservation
- Standard lever-movement servicing considerations apply; chronograph or other complicated Longines calibres need a watchmaker experienced with that specific mechanism.
- Movement work — cleaning, lubrication, mainspring replacement, pivot or jewel work — belongs with a qualified watchmaker. Conserve original parts; do not refinish dials or polish cases to remove honest wear.
Bibliography
- Longines's own published archive material and museum publications.
- Published records of observatory chronometer trials in which Longines movements were entered.
Bibliographic entries are given only at the level we can support. Where an edition, publisher or ISBN is not confirmed, it is deliberately omitted rather than invented.
Related photographs
No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.
Sources & references
- Manufacturer archive material.
- Published observatory trial records.
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.