Longines Cal.19.4 9ct 1959

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, but 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 competed head to head with the very best among 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 by around 15 – 20% per year. On certain models however, such as the now legendary Longines Calibre.13ZN chronograph, prices have sky-rocketed.

Description

Here we have a simply wonderful example of Longines style and elegance from 1959, when the company was at its peak, competing head to head with all of the top-tier Swiss watch manufacturers. An immaculate vintage Longines gentleman’s hand-wound dress watch with subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock. Notable features of this watch include its beautiful dial with original ‘index’ hands, matching faceted ‘baton’ indices and the stunning condition of its case, dial and very high grade movement, which are all in sparkling condition.

The Dial

The dial is a classic example of Longines style and elegance. Clean, simple, classy and understated. The immaculate white dial has gold ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with gold ‘index’ hands and carries a cross-hair subsidiary seconds dial at 6. All of these beautiful aspects bring this watch together perfectly, this watch has a wonderful presence on the wrist and really is a statement piece.

We are particular admirers of Longines dials which always seem to score more highly, regularly producing dials which are that bit closer to classic perfection. Even the name and the brand look more ‘in place’ than any other, which incidentally is the oldest registered trademark of any watch manufacturer.

This dial is simply signed with ‘Longines’ at the top of the dial below 12 and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial below 6.

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

The Movement

This outstanding watch carries the very high grade Calibre 19.4 , 17 jewel movement which is in sparkling condition along with the rest of the watch.

The movement in this watch is Longines’ calibre 19.4, a hand-wound unit that made its debut in 1951. This is an interesting mechanism, not least because it was the only new calibre launched by the company that year. The 1930s had been a time of exponential growth for Longines in terms of sales, but involved the house in the production of a huge selection of movements, many of which had been loosely in the range, albeit with some revisions, since the previous decade or even before. By the time the 19.4 arrived in the early 1950s, the number of calibre types in production had been reduced, which apparently caused much relief among the management. In short, while Longines upped production, it also streamlined its manufacturing process by offering a reduced selection of movement types.

In common with most mechanical movements from this era, the 19.4 was offered with a subsidiary seconds register, as here, or without a second hand. A third variant, identified as the 19.4S was the same movement, but with the addition of an indirectly driven sweep second hand pivoting from the centre of the dial. In terms of collectibility, there isn’t anything to choose between these types, but simply from an aesthetic perspective, the 19.4 with subsidiary seconds has rather more old world charm. In technical terms the 19.4 is the classic manually wound movement of its day, with 17 jewels and a running rate of 19800 half beats per hour. It had every contemporary refinement including Incabloc shock protection, which was still a relatively recent introduction in the early 1950s.

As can be seen, the movement is in tip-top condition having just completed an overhaul and service by our watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected under high magnification then rebuilt using only original Longines parts where required. After testing and final calibration, this watch was running to within +10 seconds per day, which is outstanding for any vintage watch of this age. The movement also has a power reserve of 39hrs.

The movement is correctly signed ‘LONGINES’, ‘Swiss’, ‘17 Jewels’ with the Calibre number 19.4 and the movement serial no. 11176385.

These movements are robust, reliable and accurate making this watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in top condition and with regular servicing, every 3-4 years we would fully expect this watch to provide faithful service for many more decades to come! We are therefore more than pleased and confident to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*

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

The Case

The 9ct yellow gold case measures 32mm, excluding the correct original Longines crown. The case features a wonderful plain bezel that we believe matches the dial and bracelet perfectly. 

This watch has obviously been very well cared for, having seen only occasional use as indicated by the all round tip-top condition of the bezel, case and case-back which show virtually no sign of wear. The case has been carefully inspected, cleaned and gently hand-polished and is in beautiful 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 limited use.

Inside the case, the case-back is signed ‘Baume’ with the case reference no. 11074 and the correct 9ct hallmarks.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The original, integral, Longines 9ct bracelet is in close to as new condition and is of its original full length at 17.8cm to 18.4cm. This is adjusted using the three-stage adjustable catch and a double safety lock. The bracelet is in immaculate condition and has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. This watch and bracelet will fit an average sized wrist, however, it can also be tailored by ourselves, free of charge, following the purchase of the watch.

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 1959.

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”.

The Original Longines presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

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 that happen to visit the UK 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 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

We have always been great admirers of vintage Longines and for many years they have been significantly undervalued. However, there is no good reason for this and this has begun to correct itself in recent years as these watches technically match or surpass almost all the high-end brands. Whatever the reason, they still represent excellent value even though prices have been increasing by around 20% per annum during the past few years.

A word on 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 means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly 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.

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

We will also 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 us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.