ART DECO LONGINES 14Kt GOLD MEN'S WRISTWATCH CIRCA 1953, Ser No. 8,500,xxx, with a signed 17 jewel Swiss 9LT Longines moment, brushed finish water resistant snap back case marked 14Kt Gold, smooth bezel, sleek Deco sweeping sleigh bed lugs, curved sapphire crystal, signed silver dial with applied gold tone Arabic numeral and geometric hour markers, gold tone dauphine hands, subsidiary seconds, authentic period 10Kt gold filled Kerissler (C) stretch band, just serviced and cleaned and is in excellent running condition, looks great on the wrist, comes in a nice replacement presentation box and would make an in impressive and handsome gift or addition to any fine collection.
DETAILS:
- CASE SIZE: 28mm. x 20.50mm.
- LUG SIZE / Band Width: 16mm.
- CONDITION: Normal scuffing and pre-owned wear, just serviced, keeps excellent time excellent working condition.
BACKGROUND:
In the early 1800's Swiss watchmaking was truly a cottage-industry. Watches were produced using the 'etablissage' method, where individual tradesman working out of small studios or their homes would produce parts (or sub-assemblies) which were then assembled and sold under the auspices of a single brand. In 1832, Auguste Agassiz began selling etablissage-produced watches under the name 'Agassiz & Compagnie' and was particularly successful selling those watches in North America.
In the 1850's, Agassiz passed control of his company to his nephew, Ernest Francillon. Francillon wanted to modernize the production of watches and believed that bringing all the final assembly and finish operations together into one factory would be a more efficient method of production. To accomplish this, Francillon built a factory on a piece of land known as 'Les Longines' and the Longines brand was born. This method of production proved to be very successful, and by the early 1900's the Longines factory employed over 1000 people and had achieved worldwide distrubution and success with its products.

Normal scuffing and pre-owned wear, just serviced, keeps excellent time excellent working condition.