1934 40mm Longines Cal 15 chronograph

AdamVT227
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Hi ,
I would like to know your thoughts on this watch .

yesterday I loged into my facebook and suddenly saw this watch for sale for a very funny price , I dont know a lot about Longines watches so I was unsure about the originality but the movement looked alright to me so i said Buy first find out later 馃榿.

From a small research I did online (correct me if im wrong ) the watch is from 1934 and has a 13.33 cal .

The thing im not sure about is the case - there isn鈥檛 any Longines markings on it but on both the case backs the serial number matches the movement serial number .

the watch needs a service badly and there is one broken part ( shown in the green marking ) that i noticed ( if you know a part number or if you know one available i would appreciate it )

also if you can tell me what this watch would be worth after fixing it ( I don鈥檛 think im going to sell it but i do want to know its value )

Thanks 馃檹


40C0206E-0F11-4D9F-9C90-FF18DFCDA51A_1_201_a.jpeg 3D31F063-680A-4E33-90AF-D411707957E9_1_201_a.jpeg DE59829C-932D-4D4D-A34E-6520C93001B4_1_201_a.jpeg D13FEF8E-C53A-4CD1-BF34-C3FB2743599B_1_201_a.jpeg 1EFAB9DC-E5E5-478B-9A88-708BEC9F9FB8_1_201_a.jpeg 6B6FD7F7-3A19-40BC-B7CC-6D0F5B3015C6_1_201_a.jpeg 9E85615F-2F59-4B98-8E8F-246FD986FB12_1_201_a.jpeg 161DF759-1829-4813-A398-400E9417930D_1_201_a.jpeg
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AdamVT227
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Radiumpassion Radiumpassion
Longines cal. 15 that is Valjoux based. Nice catch for 180$
thanks , there isn鈥檛 a lot of information on the cal 15 online , all i found is - it was produced only between 1933-35 during the transition from 13.33 to 13zn .
is it based on the valjoux 23 ?
 
Radiumpassion
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I`m not sure, but it will probably be a 15 ligne movement

Valjoux 23 is 13 ligne

Have some patience and someone will enlighten us.
 
DirtyDozen12
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Great catch! This is an uncommon Longines and quite desirable. As @Radiumpassion mentioned, the movement is referred to as cal. 15, however it is based on a Valjoux cal. 22GH. The lack of markings on the case is normal. The enamel dial looks original and has a lovely design with a red tachymeter scale. The steel case is also neat. The crown and most of the hands look original, too. So overall, quite a nice example. The "jumper spring" you are looking for can probably be found on a spare Valjoux 22GH movement, though the finishing might not match your Longines example, as the parts have been nicely beveled and polished. Thanks for sharing photos here!
 
DirtyDozen12
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P.S. I would guess that the size of your watch is around 40 mm? Regarding value, it is crucial that none of the original parts presently on the watch are replaced or altered (e.g., do not polish the case or replace the crown or hands). A somewhat similar example (steel, 40 mm, enamel dial) sold a few years ago at auction, though I cannot locate a record of the sale price. There is presently an example for sale on Chrono24 and the seller (Cars and Watches) is asking 18,000 USD. I can imagine that your example is worth 10,000 USD or more.

Source: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...are-longines-oversize-steel-4304-c-aa341ef934
1728064533942.png 1728064571891.png 1728064603686.png

Source: https://www.chrono24.com/longines/l...-steel-chrono-vintage-no-13zn--id35638788.htm
1728064636003.png 1728064675332.png
 
AdamVT227
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
Great catch! This is an uncommon Longines and quite desirable. As @Radiumpassion mentioned, the movement is referred to as cal. 15, however it is based on a Valjoux cal. 22GH. The lack of markings on the case is normal. The enamel dial looks original and has a lovely design with a red tachymeter scale. The steel case is also neat. The crown and most of the hands look original, too. So overall, quite a nice example. The "jumper spring" you are looking for can probably be found on a spare Valjoux 22GH movement, though the finishing might not match your Longines example, as the parts have been nicely beveled and polished. Thanks for sharing photos here!
Thank you very much for the information ,
very glad to read your feedback on the watch .
looks like it won鈥檛 be an easy task finding the jumper spring ( maybe there is another reference with the same part ?) .
Anyway now it looks like i have another project watch added to the (too) many i currently have 馃槵
 
DirtyDozen12
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Yes, it may take a while to find a jumper spring that is correct and finished similarly. See my comment above for some context regarding value.
 
AdamVT227
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DirtyDozen12 DirtyDozen12
P.S. I would guess that the size of your watch is around 40 mm? Regarding value, it is crucial that none of the original parts presently on the watch are replaced or altered (e.g., do not polish the case or replace the crown or hands). A somewhat similar example (steel, 40 mm, enamel dial) sold a few years ago at auction, though I cannot locate a record of the sale price. There is presently an example for sale on Chrono24 and the seller (Cars and Watches) is asking 18,000 USD. I can imagine that your example is worth 10,000 USD or more.

Source: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...are-longines-oversize-steel-4304-c-aa341ef934
1728064533942.png 1728064571891.png 1728064603686.png

Source: https://www.chrono24.com/longines/l...-steel-chrono-vintage-no-13zn--id35638788.htm
1728064636003.png 1728064675332.png
wow i though it was worth 2-3k , but those examples are in better condition .
and yes the diameter is 40mm
 
DirtyDozen12
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AdamVT227 AdamVT227
wow i though it was worth 2-3k , but those examples are in better condition .
and yes the diameter is 40mm
There are not many vintage Longines chronographs that are 40 mm in diameter. Further, your example has an especially attractive enamel dial, a steel case, and is essentially all correct. Such an example is very hard to come by, and to the right collector, would be quite valuable. I will say that the Longines market seems weaker than it was a few years ago. Still, I think 10K USD is not unreasonable.
 
JohnLy
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longines cal 15 mvt.webp Longines cal 15 dial.webp

The above pictures are Cal 15 ref 3205, it's 39mm diameter and was invoiced on 31 January 1935. The serial number is not far off from yours so assume yours was made in the same time frame. There are not many of the Cal15 out there so you did very well. Most that I have seen were gold so to get a steel one is special.

Longines cal 15 flyback dial.webp cal 15 flyback mvt.webp

The above is the Cal 15 Flyback ref 3756, it's 37mm in diameter and was invoiced 19 March 1936. Longines patent for the flyback function was based upon the Cal 15 even though Longines produced the flyback option on the Cal 13.33 many years before the Cal 15 was being manufactured.

Longines 13.33 flyback.webp

This is the 13.33 Flyback, it's 35mm in diameter and was invoiced on 8 Feb. 1934.
 
Syrte
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That鈥檚 one example when it鈥檚 worth paying Longines for a vintage workshop restoration.
 
AdamVT227
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JohnLy JohnLy
longines cal 15 mvt.webp Longines cal 15 dial.webp

The above pictures are Cal 15 ref 3205, it's 39mm diameter and was invoiced on 31 January 1935. The serial number is not far off from yours so assume yours was made in the same time frame. There are not many of the Cal15 out there so you did very well. Most that I have seen were gold so to get a steel one is special.

Longines cal 15 flyback dial.webp cal 15 flyback mvt.webp

The above is the Cal 15 Flyback ref 3756, it's 37mm in diameter and was invoiced 19 March 1936. Longines patent for the flyback function was based upon the Cal 15 even though Longines produced the flyback option on the Cal 13.33 many years before the Cal 15 was being manufactured.

Longines 13.33 flyback.webp

This is the 13.33 Flyback, it's 35mm in diameter and was invoiced on 8 Feb. 1934.
Wow , those are stunning watches .
Thanks for taking the time to write it , I highly appreciate it ! it's not easy finding information online .

mine doesn鈥檛 have a Longines mark on the case , but previous answers suggested that it is original .
my thoughts are - where those without the marks cased outside Longines ?
Because it's seems unlikely to me for Longines to make a case without markings .
 
AdamVT227
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Syrte Syrte
That鈥檚 one example when it鈥檚 worth paying Longines for a vintage workshop restoration.
Could you enlighten me with this service ?
is it similar to Omega's restoration program ?
 
Syrte
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AdamVT227 AdamVT227
Could you enlighten me with this service ?
is it similar to Omega's restoration program ?
Longines in Switzerland have a vintage watchmaking workshop with stocks of old parts and if anyone would have the missing part it would be them.
I haven鈥檛 visited in a few years but the service used to cost around 2500 to 3000 euros - depending on the watch. In those days they were quite different from Omega in the way they respected patina on old watches, Longines was much more open minded towards collectors wishes to retain old elements, however In your instance it does not matter because silver regains its patina quickly.

The only way to know if they have your part is to send the watch for an estimate, which would usually be done through their local branch which would ship it to Switzerland. It could take severai months though, just to get the estimate.

Also it should be noted they will not sell the part separately. Their policy is to keep their rare parts for people who pay for a full service.
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DirtyDozen12
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I am not sure that I would send this watch to be serviced by Longines in Switzerland. The primary motivation for doing so, in my opinion, is in order to access spare parts that are very difficult to find elsewhere. In this instance, the only part that is apparently needed (though there may be more) is the jumper spring. Assuming that Longines actually has this part in stock, which I am not sure of, the price to acquire it will be very high since a full service will be obligatory. I would recommend taking your time to figure out what you ultimately want to do with the watch, prior to deciding what to do about servicing it. If you intend to sell it, then it may make more sense to leave the watch as-is, to minimize your investment and the risk of any damage.
 
Syrte
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Agree with @DirtyDozen12 it鈥檚 worth taking a bit of time to figure out what you鈥檇 like to do with it.
And we鈥檇 probably all agree that if you decide to sell it, then it鈥檚 best to leave it alone.

If this is a Valjoux part perhaps one could research donor movements and restore with the help of a talented independent watchmaker.
For those who are interested in those kinds of projects, @w154 undertook such a venture -but it was much more intense and dramatic.
http://www.onthedash.com/abercrombie-seafarer-first/
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AdamVT227
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Syrte Syrte
Longines in Switzerland have a vintage watchmaking workshop with stocks of old parts and if anyone would have the missing part it would be them.
I haven鈥檛 visited in a few years but the service used to cost around 2500 to 3000 euros - depending on the watch. In those days they were quite different from Omega in the way they respected patina on old watches, Longines was much more open minded towards collectors wishes to retain old elements, however In your instance it does not matter because silver regains its patina quickly.

The only way to know if they have your part is to send the watch for an estimate, which would usually be done through their local branch which would ship it to Switzerland. It could take severai months though, just to get the estimate.

Also it should be noted they will not sell the part separately. Their policy is to keep their rare parts for people who pay for a full service.
I didn鈥檛 know they have such a workshop , it doesn鈥檛 appear on their website .
Tbh it's a nice thing to have for collectors , but for that price the watch should really be worth the investment .
And i would not trust the local Longines to handle this watch .
 
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