| Author | Message | ||
     Davidalexander New member Username: Davidalexander Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2008 Rating: N/A |
Hi everyone, I'm thinking of buying this watch but know very little about it. It's billed as a 1955 pilot's chronograph, although one person I've spoken to thinks it's a re-issue or a recent model. I'd really appreciate any help you can give me with regards to type/value etc...  | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3039 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
It's a fake, probably coming out of Germany right? | ||
| Davidalexander New member Username: Davidalexander Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2008 Rating: N/A |
Wow...do you think really so? It is on sale with a very established central London dealer, and the price is very high. I'm a bit shocked that you think it's a fake. Could I ask them for some kind of verification or guarantee? | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3040 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
They won't be able to verify it. It's a Valjoux 72 in there I would imagine. It's dressed up to look like a Type 20 Breguet chrono of the period (but in Longines), but my guess is that the watch started off being a Mathey Tissot or something like that. Only 3 manufacturers have legitimately used this case & dial: Breguet, Mathey Tissot and Girard Perregaux. I would not buy a watch of this style that doesn't come from one of the above names. I'm bet the house the watch was bought in Germany intially where there is a cottage industry of making up chronograph models that never existed. | ||
| Davidalexander New member Username: Davidalexander Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2008 Rating: N/A |
Hi, I thought you'd interested to know how I got one with this watch. It WAS sold in Germany (so you were right there) at Dr Crott's auction. It was listed as: "Longines Watch Co., Werk Nr. 51118337, Ref. 8226-2, Cal. 332, 38 mm, circa 1968. A fine aviator's wristwatch with chronograph. (Case: steel, three-body, screw back, reeded turnable bezel, Longines buckle. Dial: black, luminous Arabic numerals, auxiliary seconds, 30 min. and 12h counter, luminous baton hands. Movm.: 2/3 plate movement, rhodium-plated, ground, 17 jewels, polished screws, ground chronograph steel parts, ratchet wheel, Glucydur balance, blued hairspring, shock protection for balance)." So I sent the details to the Longines Archives and they said: Watch with serial number 51�118�337 is a wrist watch in stainless steel, case reference 8226 It has been produced in 1971 It is equipped with a movement calibre 332, hand-winding, chronograph. So the dealers have so far said it was made in "circa 1940" (wrong), 1955 (wrong) and 1968 (close but wrong) and a cal.332 (wrong). As yet Longines have not confirmed that the case is incorrect. But judging from the scans I have found for other 8226-2's it doesn't look similar at all. Proof that vintage watches can be a murky business. All the best, David | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3053 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
What scan of the 8226 have you found? Maybe it's an ugly cushion shaped chrono? Maybe they took a legit back & movement and made up a "Breguet" style watch that would sell for 10x more? I would be absolutely shocked to learn that this watch is real, 100%. | ||
| Davidalexander New member Username: Davidalexander Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2008 Rating: N/A |
Yes, the 8226's I have found are exactly that type of watch. Very 1970's. (Attached below.) Longines have now confirmed that this watch is NOT in an 8226 case, and they are mailing me illustrations of the type of cases this movement had when they left the factory. Lastly, I never mentioned how much the dealer wants for this suspect watch; �4900 (yes, GBP). That's around $9800.  | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 3057 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
So there you have it, a late 1960s Valjoux 72 powered watch, ugly cushion style, converted into a 1950s "Breguet style" pilot's watch in Germany. Just as I suspected. |