Ladies Longines 18ct Pink Gold 1963

Longines

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. Something of a Cinderella among the watch collecting fraternity until recently, Longines is now rightfully returning towards the elevated status it once held in the pre and post-war years when it ranked among the very best among of the Swiss watch manufacturers. It is really only within the past three years that Longines vintage watches have risen again to the admiration and popularity they deserve, with values rising of by around 15 – 20% per year and on certain models, such as the now legendary Longines Calibre.13ZN chronograph, prices have sky-rocketed.

Description

A beautifully original, unrestored and untouched Calibre 13.15V ladies hand-wound 18ct pink gold dress watch from 1963 with the original, unrestored and untouched salmon dial. This watch is in superb condition, having only been lightly worn and therefore just requiring only a light hand-polish to return it to the almost ‘as new’ condition you see here.

The Dial

The beautiful original, unrestored and completely untouched salmon dial carries the traditional Longines styling cues. Mixed pink gilt ‘baton’ and ‘arrowhead’ hour indices swept by the original pink gilt ‘dauphine’ hands. The dial is framed by a beautiful crystal effect bezel insert, which catches the light wonderfully.

This is the original dial which considering its age, is in remarkably good condition with just slight signs of ageing on the hour indices, we have decided to leave this dial alone to add some character and charm to the watch.

The dial is simply signed with ‘Longines’ at the very top of the dial and ‘Swiss Made’ at the bottom of the dial below 6.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its unique condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors who prefer this. This watch has a unique dial with a very even patina, which can be seen in the photographs. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you see here may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the unaided eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The high grade Longines Calibre 13.15V, 17 jewel hand-wound movement is in absolute tip-top sparkling condition.

The movement has been fully overhauled by our vintage Longines specialist watchmaker. This means disassembling the watch movement down to all its component parts, careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Longines parts, then careful reassembly and adjustment before final calibration and testing. This watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +7 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions and this has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. Please bear in mind, this performance is outstanding for any watch, particularly of this age. The movement also has a 35-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore highly confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Longines’ and ‘17 Jewels’, with the Calibre no.13.15V and the reference number 12217737, which dates the watch to 1963.

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

Watch Case

The sturdy 18ct solid pink gold case measures just 18mm in diameter, excluding the correct Longines signed crown. This is classed as a mid to small-sized ladies watch. However, the case is very robust, therefore the watch, while ‘ladies cocktail watch size’, is still suitable for everyday use.

Inside the case back is correctly signed with ‘Longines’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ along with the case reference number 7209 2 and the correct 18ct Swiss hallmarks.

The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and carefully hand-polished, which was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition with no scratches dings or marks of any kind visible to the unaided eye.

Please note – as always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

A high quality black leather strap is fitted with a plain pink gold-plated 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 at short notice.

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 1963.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

This watch comes complete with the Longines presentation box shown in the photographs.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

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

In Conclusion