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Syrte
·For a while I had been interested in some 1940s Longines with sturdy gold screwback cases and 24 hour dials. I liked the contrast and the paradox of their sporty lumed dial and case style and the more « chic » aspect of the gold.
I’d kept an eye on them for a while but all of those I saw had wrecked dials, or dials that seemed horribly refinished.
This one, as other similar watches, is a US market watch with 14k Wadsworth case inscribed «Cased and timed in USA by Longines », and a 10L movement inscribed LXW as it should. It’s small at 30mm but feels built like a tank.
My watchmaker who now has the watch found some red paint show on some of the 24 hour numerals. This is consistent with other similar models found on line. I wonder whether the color has turned or whether something was applied on top.
When I first saw the dial with a loupe I was unsettled to find the minute track uneven.@DirtyDozen12 with his usual sleuthing talents found other examples showing it’s a common feature of those watches.
Unfortunately, I was going to take a closer picture of the dismounted movement at my watchmaker’s shop when it slipped out of my hands and the balance staff broke. That kind of threw off the photo shoot but my watchmaker took some pictures of the dial back, showing those dials marked «Swiss » are made by Lemrich. As far as I know European Longines of the same period usually have dials made by Stern or Fluckiger.
I’d kept an eye on them for a while but all of those I saw had wrecked dials, or dials that seemed horribly refinished.
This one, as other similar watches, is a US market watch with 14k Wadsworth case inscribed «Cased and timed in USA by Longines », and a 10L movement inscribed LXW as it should. It’s small at 30mm but feels built like a tank.
My watchmaker who now has the watch found some red paint show on some of the 24 hour numerals. This is consistent with other similar models found on line. I wonder whether the color has turned or whether something was applied on top.
When I first saw the dial with a loupe I was unsettled to find the minute track uneven.@DirtyDozen12 with his usual sleuthing talents found other examples showing it’s a common feature of those watches.
Unfortunately, I was going to take a closer picture of the dismounted movement at my watchmaker’s shop when it slipped out of my hands and the balance staff broke. That kind of threw off the photo shoot but my watchmaker took some pictures of the dial back, showing those dials marked «Swiss » are made by Lemrich. As far as I know European Longines of the same period usually have dials made by Stern or Fluckiger.
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