Longines. A fine and rare chrome openface keyless lever military watch
Lot 59

Longines. A fine and rare chrome openface keyless lever military watch

Signed Longines, ref. 5143, movement no. 6'402'852, case no. 22'178, manufactured in 1942

Closed15 May 2017

Price Realised

CHF 2,500

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Longines. A fine and rare chrome openface keyless lever military watch
Signed Longines, ref. 5143, movement no. 6'402'852, case no. 22'178, manufactured in 1942
Movement: manual, matte gilt cal. 19.71N, 16 jewels, cam micrometer regulator
Dial: black gloss, luminous Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds, luminous hands
Case: two-body, screw down back engraved “D 178 H”
Signed: case, dial and movement
Dimensions: 53 mm. diam.
With: Longines Extract from the Archives confirming the present watch was invoiced on 24 December 1942 to Longines' retailer in Berlin, Germany

Specialist note

The present watch is a rare and interesting example of the high-grade military timepieces supplied by Longines to the German Army with black luminous dial and hard-wearing chrome case with screw back to avoid accidental interference with the movement. These watches were fitted with the caliber 19.71N movement which was both reliable and high precision. It was first introduced in 1910 and was used for the majority of Longines chromometers and deck watches. The engraved military designation is the Deutsches Heer – German Army property mark with the last three digits of the case number engraved between.

Given its rarity and appeal, the present watch will be described and photographed on the upcoming book Longines Legendary Watches by John Goldberger