1940s stainless steel vintage Longines ‘WW2’ watch

Date:           1942

Case:            Stainless steel, 34mm

Movement: Longines Calibre 12.68Z

Dial:             Silvered with Arabic numerals

Lugs:            18mm

A stunning classic vintage Longines watch from the early 1940s!

A 1942, stainless steel vintage Longines watch. The case measures 34 mm in diameter, 44mm lug to lug, with 18mm lugs. The case, with stepped bezel, is signed Longines, Acier Inoxydable and numbered. The 12.68Z calibre, manual wind movement is signed Longines, Swiss Made with 15 jewels and numbered, circa 1942. The silvered dial has black Arabic numerals with subsidiary seconds, fine blued steel ‘Breguet’ hands and outer minute track. The dial is signed Longines above the centre.

Calibre 12.68Z

Longines introduced the calibre 12.68Z in 1938. The basic sub second variant is found in Longines watches up until the calibre was phased out in 1959/60. The 27mm movement was ideal for modification and some variants where made. The modifications where given an additional letter to set them apart, the exception being a mono pusher stop second variant. The pointer date is known as a 12.68ZQ. The centre second variant as a 12.68ZS. These movements have varying levels of decoration, according to when they where made and what market they where sold to. The 12.68Z balance also evolved from non-shock protected to fully shock protected during it’s long production run.