1960s 18ct gold vintage Longines Chronograph watch
Date: 1967
Case: 18ct gold, 36mm
Movement: Calibre 30CH
Dial: Silvered with baton indicators
Lugs: 18mm
A 1967, 18ct gold round vintage Longines Chronograph watch. The case measures 35 mm in diameter with 18mm lug size. The Swiss Made case is signed Longines, 18K and numbered. The fabulous 30CH ‘flyback’, manual wind movement is signed Longines with 18 jewels and numbered. The silvered dial has raised gold baton markers, with two subsidiary dials recording minutes and seconds, outer blue and red telemetre scale and fine gilt hands. The dial is signed Longines above the centre.
In 1936 Longines began to produce one of the most technologically advanced chronograph movements at the time, the Calibre 13ZN. Longines developed the first chronograph for the wristwatch, the 13.33Z, but the 13ZN, was the first chronograph mechanism equipped with the flyback, or retour-en-vol, function. The 13ZN had 17 jewels; a diameter of 29.80 mm and height of 6.05 mm, and beat at 18,000 vph, and was equipped with a Breguet hairspring. The 13ZN movement was expensive to produce, particularly when compared to the ebauches that other major brands had access to. During this period of time, Longines invested heavily in another round of research and development to produce a less costly version of the 13ZN, but still retaining the flyback functionality that was, at that time, unique to Longines. After producing the 13ZN for about 11 years, the 30CH was introduced in 1947.
The chronograph watches with 30CH movements were designed to be ‘sportier’ than the 13ZNs, reflecting the style of the times, so a larger number of the 30CHs can be found in steel, typically in waterproof cases with button pushers. Gold models of the 30CH can also be found in waterproof cases, a style not commonly seen in the 13ZN. The 30CH (and variantions) were produced for nearly 20 years, until the 1970s, when Longines was taken over by Ebauches S.A. and ceased in-house production of movements, instead purchasing ebauches from Valjoux S.A.
