Thoughts On This Longines Sport Chief

Daniel B
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This one is on sale at a local pawn shop, for $95. What are your thoughts on this one?

Is this model any collectible or valued Among collectors ?


Thanks Daniel
 
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U
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The Sport Chief is another Longines model that is often faked by using a generic/no-name authentic Longines but adding the Sport Chief when it's redialed. I'd want to see more pictures of the movement and inside of the case back so you could confirm it's actually a real Sport Chief using the serial number and reference number.
 
Daniel B
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Alright Thanks Dennis. I will drop by the shop and see if they can open it up. Update will follow 😀
 
Daniel B
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Sorry for the crappy iPhone pictures... my main camera broke down on me =(
 
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Daniel B Daniel B
Sorry for the crappy iPhone pictures... my main camera broke down on me =(


If that's a caliber 701, there are doubts it ever started life as a Sport Chief. I thought they came with the 30L and 30LS, and maybe the 490 - but I'm not even sure of the 490.
 
Daniel B
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Stopped by a friend.. got a camera 😁

So, we are looking at a redial with a caliber 701 ?
 
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Can you give me the exact serial number? I can see it's 13,1xx,xxx making it from around 1966 but the rest is blurry.
 
Daniel B
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Yes, its really tiny, hard to get a good shoot of.
third time's the charm...

I think it says : 13183536
 
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Daniel B Daniel B
So, we are looking at a redial with a caliber 701 ?


The 'Sport Chief' was probably added to the dial. There's no mention of this movement being associated with any named series:

The serial number 13’183’536 identifies a yellow gold wristwatch with the reference 7634.
It is fitted with a manually wound mechanical movement, caliber 701 and was invoiced to Messrs. Hausammann, who were for many years our agent for Norway, on the 6th July 1966.
 
Daniel B
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U ulackfocus
The 'Sport Chief' was probably added to the dial. There's no mention of this movement being associated with any named series:

The serial number 13’183’536 identifies a yellow gold wristwatch with the reference 7634.
It is fitted with a manually wound mechanical movement, caliber 701 and was invoiced to Messrs. Hausammann, who were for many years our agent for Norway, on the 6th July 1966.

Thank you Dennis and your contact at Longines 😀

awesome records at Longines!
 
Daniel B
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I have been browsing the web searching for a crown for my Longines, no luck so far, however I found 3 more watches sold in Sweden by an respectable auction house with the same reference as my watch, being sold as Sport chief. I wonder if they are all just redials or if they actually used reference 7634 for sport chief here in the Nordic? They all have Cal 701 as well.


http://www.kaplans.se/en/auktioner/1863/vara/564847

http://www.kaplans.se/en/auktioner/1429/vara/353568

http://www.kaplans.se/en/auktioner/1799/vara/535709

edit: fixed broken link
 
U
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Told ya that the "Sport Chief" was often added to the dial to sell watches for higher prices. 😉 If the 7634 was meant to be a Sport Chief, Longines reply to me would have mentioned that. Unless I see definitive evidence from Longines, I won't believe ANY Sport Chief to be original.

And if you've been following the forum threads about auction houses, there are no guarantees that they don't sell frankens.
 
Tony C.
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This is one of those relatively rare instances in which I disagree with Dennis. It's not that I have a strong opinion about any of the individual watches linked, but that I find it hard to believe that "Sport Chief" is being added to many dials in order to increase their value. Since when was the Sport Chief line sought after in any meaningful way? Flagship and Conquest, sure, and even the All-Guard name has value. Admiral? Perhaps. But Sport Chief?

Color me skeptical.
 
haviadm
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Hi.
I am new here, but somewhat familiar with Longines from this period.
I agree with Tony C. It could be a re-dial, but I am almost 100% sure it is not.
I have 3 Longines caliber 701, none of them are re-dialed. (one is the same ref# as mentioned here.)
And they are all marked Sport Chief.

Sport Chief was also found in Longines watches with caliber 280 and 12.68Z (and 30L, 30LS, 280)
Longines used model names like Flagship, Sport Chief, Silver Arrow on many different watches/calibers.

As to Longines archives - they are great, but not always 100% correct.
For instance this Sport Chief, they claim is "a yellow gold wristwatch", has a gold cape, and is gold on steel.
 
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haviadm haviadm
Longines used model names like Flagship, Sport Chief, Silver Arrow on many different watches/calibers.


I disagree, in this order: Silver Arrow first, Sport Chief second, and Flagship last. While the Flagship did have quite a few references, you see a TON of redials on eBay that have added Flagship to the dial to try to get more money out of n00bs for a generic 30L or 490 specimen. The Sport Chief was less common, and the Silver Arrow didn't have many case references at all.
 
haviadm
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"I disagree, in this order: Silver Arrow first, Sport Chief second, and Flagship last."
Do you mean as a timeline?
They used Flagship and Sport Chief in watches with the 30L movement over a ten year period. (aprox 57 - 67)
Same cases, same movement, same dial (except name printed on)

So it might well be genuine - even if Longines doesn´t have the model name in their archive.
 
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haviadm haviadm
"I disagree, in this order: Silver Arrow first, Sport Chief second, and Flagship last."
Do you mean as a timeline?


I meant as in strongest exception to least exception. The Silver Arrow only had a few case references and calibers and was made from around 1955 to maybe the early 60's. I never trust a watch to be an original Silver Arrow unless it has a 23Z of some sorts or a 27 series caliber - both manual winds. The case reference is 9104. Here's a thread we had earlier:

http://omegaforums.net/threads/the-final-shoe-dropped.8913/#post-104630
 
haviadm
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Then I totally agree😀
I have a 2 Silver Arrow with a caliber 30L, I think they are original. (but one can never be sure...)

But your Silver Arrow is striking! Just lovely.

Regarding the Sport Chief in question, my opinion is that it is genuine and original.
Sport Chief was quite common in the nordic countries.
 
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