1920s round silver vintage Longines wristwatch (3007)

An early silver vintage Longines wristwatch. The 'Borgel' case measures 36mm in diameter with hinged lugs. The case is marked AB (Arthur Baume, a director for Longines with the UK rights to Longines) and hallmarked 1925. The movement is signed Longines with 15 jewels. The movement has a pin-set mechanism for the setting of the hands. The white enamel dial has Roman numerals, a red XII, with a subsidiary seconds dial. The dial is signed Longines above the centre. This style of watch is often called a trench watch and was worn by officers during the First World War. A very collectable watch in very good condition!

Francois Borgel designed these cases and patented them in October 1891 in Geneva, with a Swiss Brevet or patent number 4001. They were then patented in London in November 1891 with patent number 20422. The Borgel case was an early design to try to make wrist watches resistant to dust and moisture. It is a one piece case, where the movement and bezel are mounted on a threaded ring which screws into the case from the front. Borgel cases continued to be manufactured after his death in 1912, initially by his daughter Louisa, and later by Taubert & Fils. Taubert & Fils was a renown Geneva-based case makers and specialized in water-resistant cases.

Borgel Case