LuxuryWatchesA 1940s Longines and the joys of vintage watch ownershipEvery glance at my great-grandad’s Longines has my mind racing: where has this watch been? What events has it witnessed? What did its first owner think of it?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
LuxuryWatchesA 1940s Longines and the joys of vintage watch ownershipEvery glance at my great-grandad’s Longines has my mind racing: where has this watch been? What events has it witnessed? What did its first owner think of it?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Every glance at my great-grandad’s Longines has my mind racing: where has this watch been? What events has it witnessed? What did its first owner think of it?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)
I’ve spent days now, looking at seemingly endless images of vintage Longines and Bulova watches. Sometimes I think I’ve struck gold, only to spot a tiny difference between what’s on my computer screen and what’s here in my hands.
The latter is a vintage Longines watch attached to the strap of a slightly newer Bulova Accutron. The Longines strap and Bulova case are missing, but seeing these two watches blended together only adds to the intrigue. Did my grandfather do this, potentially sometime in the 1970s, because he liked the look? Or perhaps this was a temporary substitution while the opposing case or strap had been sent away for servicing?
I’d love to ask him, but Rex died long before I was born. I’ve always known he likedwatches, but only in the last few weeks have some of his possessions come to live with me. There are pens and tie clips, but the Longines/Bulova hybrid is the most interesting to me.
I’ve never cared much for vintage watches. Not because I don’t like them, but because my limited knowledge of older timepieces tells me how decades-old Rolexes are worth more than any house I could ever hope to buy. Collecting vintage watches is a pastime for someone else, I thought.
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)
Then the Longines arrived and, while it’s probably only worth a few hundred pounds, it fascinates me. With extensive googling serving no clarity, other than perhaps how the squared font of the numerals could make this particular model quite rare, I seek out expert opinion.
At this point a serial number would be useful, but Longines of this era had them stamped on the movement instead of the case back, which remained blank and ready for a personal inscription. Once I have that number, I’ll be able to apply for a Longines certificate of authenticity.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)
(Image credit: Future / Alistair Charlton)
After Longines, I headed to a couple of vintage watches specialists in London’s Burlington Arcade. Both said the dress watch was probably from the late 1940s but couldn’t say much more. Lastly, I visited the Bonhams auction house, whose receptionist took photographs and sent them to a colleague. A few minutes later, I was told it was worth maybe £300 to £500 and that I could consign it to an auction happening in August. I declined, partially relieved to know it wasn’t worth a small fortune and a large moral dilemma.
Fast forward a week and the watch has cleaned up beautifully with a jewellers' cloth bought offAmazon, and to my eyes looks more at home on a spare tan leather strap I found at home instead of the black strap it came into my possession on. It winds up easily, although I am scared of over-winding the 70-year-old movement, and keeps accurate time for somewhere between 24 and 36 hours.
The next step will be to contact Longines and request an extract from the archives. I’d love to find out who first bought the watch, where and when. I really do hope Longines has an answer, and that their database reveals the first owner was indeed my great-grandad. Maybe I’ll discover he bought it abroad, perhaps on holiday or a work trip. It might even have been a gift.
While the watch looks great and I’ll enjoy wearing it, the connection it has now formed between me and two relatives I never had the chance to meet is what’s most valuable. Every time check now has my mind racing; where has this watch been? Is it well travelled? What events is it witness to? What did it mean to those who wore it before me? And what on Earth happened to the Bulova? I don’t expect to find these answers, but knowing where and when it was first sold, and to whom, will be a fascinating start.
Vollebak pushes the limits of outerwear with Double Graphene Puffer and Shielding SuitThe company continues to weave innovation into every thread
The company continues to weave innovation into every thread
Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 review: sensational sound, ordinary ANCBowers & Wilkins' step-down true wireless earbuds sound amazing and are well-priced – so what’s the catch, if anything?
Bowers & Wilkins' step-down true wireless earbuds sound amazing and are well-priced – so what’s the catch, if anything?
OMEGA puts the Moon on your wrist with new Speedmaster Moonphase MeteoriteOMEGA adds two new Moonphase Meteorite watches to its Speedmaster line-up
OMEGA adds two new Moonphase Meteorite watches to its Speedmaster line-up
This Piaget watch is the most intricate timepiece I’ve ever seen – but you won’t get onePiaget announces new Altiplano Skeleton Métier d’Art watch
Piaget announces new Altiplano Skeleton Métier d’Art watch
Dior celebrates the Year of the Snake with a rose gold lunar-inspired watchDior gives its Grand Soir watch a Year of the Snake-inspired design
Dior gives its Grand Soir watch a Year of the Snake-inspired design
One of my favourite retro watches just got four cool new colour ways
OMEGA launches new James Bond-inspired Seamaster Diver in bronze goldOMEGA’s new Seamaster Diver 300M is a Bond fan’s dream
OMEGA’s new Seamaster Diver 300M is a Bond fan’s dream
TAG Heuer’s new chronograph celebrates 20 years of Formula 1 and Red Bull RacingTAG Heuer excites racing fans with limited edition Formula 1 chronograph
TAG Heuer excites racing fans with limited edition Formula 1 chronograph
Seiko’s new Presage Japanese Garden watch has a playful cutout that’s truly hypnotisingSeiko expands its Presage Japanese Garden series with two new watches
Seiko expands its Presage Japanese Garden series with two new watches
A Week on the Wrist with the Timex Weekender – meet the perfect first watchA gateway into watch collecting…
A gateway into watch collecting…
