1950s ‘jumbo’ stainless steel vintage Longines watch
Date: 1957
Case: Stainless steel, 37mm
Movement: Longines Calibre 12.68z
Dial: Silvered with Arabic numerals
Lugs: 18mm
A fabulous ‘oversize/jumbo’ vintage Longines watch from the late 1950s!
A 1957, stainless steel vintage Longines watch. The case measures 37 mm in diameter, 44mm lug to lug, with 18mm lugs. The case is signed Longines, Acier Inox, Fab Suisse, with reference 6231 5 and numbered. The 12.68z calibre, manual wind movement is signed Longines, Swiss Made with 17 jewels and numbered, dating the watch to 1957. The silvered dial has raised gilt, alternate Arabic numerals to the quarters, with subsidiary seconds, fine gilt hands and outer minute track. The dial is signed Longines, with gilt ‘winged hourglass’ above the centre.
The Longines Logo
The Longines logo was used by the watchmaker starting in 1867, but it was not formally registered until 1889. However the Longines logo is the oldest trademark of its kind, still used in its original form, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
Founder Ernest Francillon lifted the name Longines from the name of the site for his new factory in Switzerland. Francillon then chose a winged hourglass within a double circle for his factory mark. The stamp was originally designed to deter counterfeiters and authenticate the watches produced. The logo became a symbol of the fine watchmaking and design excellence, with a rich history as a prominent watch manufacturer.
The Longines logo design has undergone a handful of modifications. The most recent update in 1981 was actually created with a strong resemblance to the 1942-era logo.
