Longines Flagship Cal. 340 18K 1960 / 1961

Description

Longines is one of the oldest Swiss watch manufacturers with an unparalleled history of invention, innovation, patents and awards. The company is also responsible for some of the most beautiful watches ever made. Here we have a superb example from 1960 when technically, Longines were competing head to head and beating almost all of the other Swiss watch manufacturers.

The immaculate 1960 / 1961 Longines Flagship we have here has a rare 18ct Yellow Gold case and is a large size 35mm, excluding the correct Longines signed crown. The watch is fitted with a very high grade Longines Calibre 340 movement which is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, this watch also carries one of the most elegant and beautifully understated watch dials, which having no date window, is beautifully elegant and well balanced, plus an immaculate ‘Flagship’ case-back. This watch was produced in very late 1960 and so it would have been retailed in 1961.

The Dial

During the 1950s and 1960s, Longines excelled in every aspect of watch design and manufacture. The company was rightfully held in very high regard for the quality of its movements and close examination of any of its watch cases reveals an equal high attention to design, quality, purpose and perfection. We also firmly believe Longines ‘Classic’ vintage dial designs are a step ahead in terms of elegance and sophistication. The silver, vertically grained dial design here is a great example of Longines ‘less is more’. Everything is in perfect balance and the dials just work so well. Restored original gold ‘Index’ hands match the applied ‘Baton’ faceted hour indices and art-deco numerals over a lightly brushed silver dial. The Longines name sits perfectly over the applied Longines ‘Winged Hourglass’  logo, which is actually the oldest registered trademark of any watch manufacturer, and the vertical grain catches the light beautifully as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs.

This is the original dial which has been restored to the highest standards by our dial restorers which are considered to be the best in the UK.

The Movement

This watch contains its original Longines Calibre.340, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement which is held in very high regard for its accuracy and reliability and following its restoration, overhaul and service, is now in immaculate condition. The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using only original Longines parts where required and when tested and calibrated, this watch was running to within +12 seconds per day, which is excellent for a vintage watch of this age! When fully wound, this movement also has a 42 hour power reserve.

The movement is signed ‘Longines Swiss 17 Jewels’ with the Calibre No.340 and the serial No. 11529485. This serial number dates this watch to very late 1960 meaning this watch movement may have been cased by Longines in early 1961 and it was almost certainly retailed in 1961.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable making the watch appropriate for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in top condition and with regular servicing, every 2 to 3 years we would fully expect this watch to give very faithful service for many more decades to come! We are pleased to offer a 12 month warranty on this watch movement* and regular servicing in the future, as required.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Watch Case

The rare 18ct Yellow Gold case has straight swept back lugs which raise the case slightly on the wrist and emphasises its presence. At 35mm in diameter excluding the Longines crown, this watch is large for the period. The case is a two-peice design with a screw-back and integral bezel. The case-back carries a superb example of the Longines Flagship motif which is very crisp and unworn, indicating this watch has seen little real use, and it has obviously either been very well cared for.

The case has been professionally cleaned and lightly polished and is in superb condition and the crown is, of course, an original signed Longines crown. The case is in immaculate condition with no scratches, dings or other marks visible to the naked eye. No matter how closely you might wish to examine the case it shows no signs of anything other than very light and careful use.

Inside, the Longines Swiss made case is signed Longines, FAB SUISSE, and SWISS MADE, with Swiss Geneva 18K, 0.750 18ct hallmarks and ‘Flagship’ plus the Longines model ref. no 3404.

Please note: The case-back screws down onto a rubber seal, which along with the seals in the crown/stem, have been replaced by new Longines original parts. However, the water resistance of this watch has not been tested and it is not guaranteed.

Our standard advice applies: Vintage Watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A new high quality Black Lizard Skin strap has been fitted, along with a gold plated Longines buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 19mm straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1960 / 1961. A detailed written receipt with a 12 month warranty* and a separate insurance valuation for the replacement value will be provided at the time of sale, along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If at any time, this watch proves to be anything less than totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy.

The matching vintage Longines presentation box in the photographs will be included with this watch.

In Conclusion

We have here a rare, usable and highly collectable vintage gold gentleman’s dress watch, from one horology’s most highly respected names which is something of beauty, to use, wear, treasure and enjoy!

This watch will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though vintage Longines prices have continued to rise markedly in the past 2-3 years, we still feel fine examples such as this are undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold watches continues to expand, availability will become more limited, so prices are surely destined to climb ever higher!

This is a wonderful example of one of the most beautiful and sought after vintage Longines available.

We have been great admirers of vintage Longines ever since the 1960s and for many years they have been very undervalued. It is difficult to reason why, as these watches technically surpass almost all the high end brands. Whatever the reason, they represent excellent value, even though prices have been increasing by around 20% per year during the past few years.

A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well known stores in West London which are very successful, charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you would wish to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss.

We will be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline  020 7727 7095   or mobile  07515 949 250 or if calling from overseas our landline number is +44 207 727 7095 or mobile +44 7515 949 250.

We are here, ready, available and awaiting your call! We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting vintage watches, we will also be happy to hear from you.

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Gold Watches!

Thank you.