Longines first Limited Edition release Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch

Great write up and score Bill!
I just happen to had one of those in hand and on the wrist two days ago. A fellow dealer/collector came by the shop for a chat and to show off his latest acquisitions.
Great watch and for a watch this size it somehow works quite well on the wrist. The hand wound movement is a joy to look at.

Cheers,
Max

Super watch. A lot of people think it is an ETA automatic. In fact it is a pocket watch super caliber that was sleeping somewhere in Longines stocks.
Here is mine NOS.

Wonderful details and photos, and some very interesting details in the finishing of the piece, carrying the knurling of the bezel into so many other facets of the watch. Even the wooden plane is well done. Many thanks for this.

Not a Full Size but still ..... Wore this beauty yesterday to a NAWCC meeting with a navigation theme.

Spectacular piece, beautiful box.

That was my line Mr. Bliss. ^

Bill, great photos and review of a wonderful homage watch made by Longines.
I still prefer the real deal, just like I'd rather have an original 321 caliber Speedy then the new ones released this year.
Thanks again.

Absolutely love it Bill...great write up and a truly superb watch for the money. Now of course ended up with module movements with different price points. I gave my brother the same version for his 50th as I couldn't bring myself to give him a vintage one. I don't quite know why word replica used.. I guess in real terms close to the vintage version and it is a replica of the original 40's version perhaps one of the early versions of a reissue model from any maker.

@barmy - What a great watch? What is the spring device at the 6 position?

For some reason I had it in my mind that Longines produced only comparitively low end watches from the 1980s onwards (although I am not sure whether they kept producing the L990 during that time). This is really remarkable that they would do this at that time. I wonder if it had to to with a renewed interest in aviation or whether Longines had the movements in stock.

Just wonderful to look at that movement.

I think Longines are using the word "replica" correctly.
The difficulty is that fakers have appropriated it as a euphemism, which isn't correct, but in a PC world people like euphemisms.

I've been wondering why this model which has such a storied history hasn't gotten more love on the internet. There are few reviews and even less love for it.

Bill all your contributions are informative and amazing and believe me when I say I learn a lot from your vast knowledge.

That must have been a while ago. Nothing like the genuine article.


This one is simply crazy. $145,000

All of the vintage pieces are truly exceptional..the last piece supposedly gifted by Lindbergh to the French hero Costes who with Maurice Bellonte was the first to ever successfully fly from Paris to New York in May 1930 (Plane pic below). It took 3 years following Lindbergh's successful voyage to go in reverse due to the prevailing winds. This watch above was not used on that flight but Costes personal watch. Essentially can see some substantial differences even in these vintage pieces. The Costes watch has an all silver case and bezel with a closed 4 in green and is the very first generation of the vintage Lindbergh with a single colour dial. The other 2 are the same model in a steel case (a couple were made for Czech in Chrome) and just a couple of pieces made in this last generation watch with an all silver case and the 3 known pieces delivered to Italy on same day in 1942. On the last 2 models the bezel colour has changed, an open 4 appears with a more legible (blue and black) bezel. Also the dial is 2 colour. Further an all steel (except for just a handful made in silver) case (bezel still silver) but profile totally changed and using caliber 37.9 not the 18.69 model of Costes watch... There were 2 other generations and a couple of other permutations with combined elements in this cross over period (pictured below). The real deals are indeed magical pieces anchored in the birth and development of commercial aviation and the expansion of their military and scientific roles and were worn by the heros of the pioneering aviation age. The "Replica" version is a truly incredible watch for the money.

Andy, these are really impressive. You must have had a lot of foresight to collect these watches. You don't see many of them available which is surprising in a way. Considering how popular early aviation was during the 1930s and 1940s, I would expect that watches like these would be much more commonly available today. Buying power of $80 dollars in 1935 was about $1,500 in 2020. These watches were far more accessible than the ever so popular Submariner is today for those that could commission construction of private airplanes back then. I would have expected these to be relatively easier to come across today. Maybe the scarcity of the original watches has more to do with redundancy. It must have been overkill for most pilots who would rather use dashboard instruments or other watch brands offered a better cost benefit ratio. Or, Lindbergh's hour angle navigational technique was not as well understood by the majority of pilots of the period. Your Longines Lindbergh collection is impressive. I have seen and heard a lot on the internet about the famous Timeman collection. Wasn't there a YouTube video many years ago of your comprehensive collection?

By the way, if anyone is looking for Bill's watch. There's one currently on eBay #459/1000 for $5000 from Israel. #514/1000 for sale on Chrono24. Found a full set at Watchmaster.com. Great news, I guess they are still easily obtainable. Lindbergh Replica. 1,000 pieces of a steel version with reference 876.5238 and 100 pieces of a yellow gold version with reference 876.5239. Every 5 years, Longines creates a limited edition of the Lindbergh watch. I guess limited means limited for 5 years : P