Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...

New York, Mar 05, 2009

LOT 342

Chronograph ? Central Minute Register Longines, No. 6989703, Ref. No. 23086, No. 415. Made circa 1945. Fine and rare, large, stainless steel wristwatch with chronograph, 12-hour register and red central progressive minute register hand.

USD 20,000 - 30,000

EUR 16,000 - 23,000 / CHF 23,000 - 35,000

C. Three-body, polished and brushed, numbered and engraved screw-down case back, concave lugs with underside numbered 415, large winding-crown. D. Brushed, silvered, with luminous Arabic numerals, outer minute track, outermost fifths of a second scale, subsidiary seconds dial for constant seconds and 12-hour register. Luminous skeleton hands, red central minute register hand. M. Cal. 137N, 13???, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 18 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shockabsorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, index regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 39 mm. Thickness 13 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-06-01

Good

HANDS Partially replaced

HANDS Original

Notes

According to our research only 7 previous examples of the steel Longines central minute register chronograph, Ref.23086 have previously appeared at international auction over the last 15 years, 4 of those examples by Antiquorum in the thematic sale ?Longines, Legendary Watches? held in 1994. Further illustrated examples can be found in ?Longines? by Marozzi, D. & G.Toselli and Chronograph wristwatches by Gerd R.Lang and Reinhard Meis. It is interesting to note that all of the examples illustrated have the identical configurations of case, dial and hand design with no variations evident. Furthermore, each watch is stamped with a continuation issue number both to the inside case back and inner shoulder; From the numbers researched It can be assumed that no more than 500 of this model were manufactured, all with identical characteristics and probably intended as a military aviation watch; however none were issued.
The reverse of this model is engraved ?George Fiske Hammond, Santa Barbara?. George Fiske Hammond was from a prominent west coast family and a graduate of Berkeley University in California where he was a notable mechanic-turned aero engineer and aircraft enthusiast who had worked for various west coast aviation companies including San Diego based Ryan (later Ryan School of Aeronautics.) George established a close friendship with Capt. Charles Lindbergh, world famous pilot and designer of the Longines Lindbergh hour-angle wristwatch after they both worked on the completion of the Ryan monoplane ?Spirit of St. Louis? in San Diego that Charles Lindbergh would fly on his famous solo journey from New York to Paris in 1927.