1950s 9ct gold round vintage Longines ‘Military’ watch

Date:           1957

Case:            9ct gold,  32mm

Movement: Longines Calibre 12.68

Dial:             Champagne with black Arabic numerals

Lugs:            16mm

A 1957, 9ct gold round vintage Longines watch. The case measures 32mm in diameter, with 16mm lugs. The case is signed ATO (Albert Thomas Oliver, case maker), hallmarked London 1957 and numbered. The manual wind, calibre 12.68 movement is signed Longines Watch Co., Swiss Made, with 16 jewels and numbered. The champagne  dial (with soft original patina) has black Arabic numerals, centre sweep seconds, with fine blued steel ‘railway’ hands. The dial is signed Longines above the centre.

ATO -Albert Thomas Oliver

 Albert Thomas Oliver of 31 Wynyatt Street, Clerkenwell, London traded as a case maker from the Edwardian era right through until the early 1980s, supplying its products to most of the high grade Swiss movement makers for use on their precious metal watches to be sold in the British market. Consistent with this exquisitely finished housing, Oliver’s quality was of the very finest possible standard and, as an aside, it is worth mentioning that this firm was the only one to ever make the waterproof Oyster cases for Rolex here in the UK in the 1930s, these normally being manufactured in Switzerland.

During WWII the British Navy commissioned about 50 special watches for their divers to wear.   These were specially cased made by Albert Thomas Oliver with Longines Cal 268N movements, and an Omega 30T2SC.