Why This Watch Matters With its minute totalizer at 12 o'clock and running seconds at six, this Longines pocket chrono has a great up, down look and is in excellent condition. The Full Story Did you know Longines can track the serial numbers associated with 50 million different watches dating back to 1867? The company should be lauded for maintaining one of the largest archives in the entire Swiss watch industry, preserving its history for the future. If you are in the market for a vintage single button chronograph pocket watch, look no further. This one should be checking all of the boxes. From the enamel dial (which is free of cracks by the way) to the interesting up and down layout of the sub-registers, there is so much to dig into here. The overall look and feel of this watch is very similar to the chronometer, time-only pocket watch we sold a few weeks back with Breguet-style hands and classic Longines font for the hour numerals. An added little detail of this example is the "LXW" import mark on the dial indicating the watch was built for the U.S. market. Maybe one of our U.S.-based members of the HODINKEE community could keep this one at home? According to the Longines archives, the watch was invoiced on January 26th, 1940, and confirms delivery to Longines-Wittnauer – the brand's distribution agent in the U.S. The engraving on the caseback is a result of wartime watch production. As this watch dates to 1940, it was manufactured in the throws of the Second World War. The "FSSC" stands for "Federal Standard Stock Catalog" and the numbers following describe the case design. The same format of FSSC numbers are found on pocket watches from Waltham, Elgin, and Hamilton made for the U.S. Navy. The Fine Print Maker: LonginesModel: Single button chronograph pocket watchReference: N/AYear: 1940Case No: 20729 3Movement No: 5865875Material: Stainless steelDimensions: 49mm diameter; 13mm thicknessCrystal: PlexiglassLume: NoneCaliber: Longines, manually-wound, caliber 18.72Box/Papers: No; this is accompanied by a plastic pocketwatch stand What We Love And What You Should Know Things We Love: - Enamel dial free of cracks- Breguet-style hands- Up and down sub-register layout Things To Know: - Scratches on case- Engraving on caseback This pocket watch is in overall excellent condition, especially for being over 70 years old. The case is strong with scratches and some minor indentations to the caseback. The hinge at the bottom of the case is in good, functional condition. The bow is tight. The engraving on the caseback is clearly visible. The enamel dial is in overall great condition and has developed light patina with an imperfection at 24 on the minutes register. The dial also has some light scratches and marks throughout, but are hard to notice depending on the light. The hands are in great condition with light patina. The case number engraved on the inside of the caseback and dust cover are matching. The crystal has some light scratches.
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