Longines Flagship

Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, Longines is known for its elegant designs and horological milestones like the Charles Lindberg Hour Angle watch, the Conquest line or the wonderful diver's watch, now known as the Legend Diver. They have had a number of firsts, too: the first chronograph pocket watch, the first wristwatch indicating a second timezone, and the first serially produced chronograph with a flyback function.

The brand also holds the oldest registered, unchanged trademark in watchmaking and revolutionised aviation and sports timekeeping. They also have an astonishing archive and until quite recently you could apply for a free extract from the archive certificate (now chargeable) which would confirm the production date, model reference, and the date your watch was invoiced.

Tech Specs.

Reference: Longines Flagship, 4016.1

Year:  c. 1975

Movement: .   Cal. 428, manual winding

Case material:
 stainless steel

Service History:  unknown

Dial:   silver

Measurements (approx.):  36mm (case diameter), 32mm lug-to-lug, 8mm thickness

Water Resistant:  No

Crown:  signed

Strap/Bracelet: 

Lug Width:  20mm

Box & Papers: no

Warranty:  1 month

Watches modelled on a 7” (18cms) wrist

Condition:

This is quite an unusual looker. You won’t find many of these at your vintage watch meet-ups. First launched in 1957, the Flagship line serves as a foundational pillar of Longines' identity and is still being produced under the Longines Heritage line. This Flagship model is Reference 4016-1 and is a mid-1970s dress watch, with a manual wind Calibre 428 and minimalist, brushed silver dial with baton markers and pencil hands; no seconds hand on this one.

There is a scratch in the middle of the crystal and a tiny crack to the bottom right corner crystal and some marks to the case in the same area. Apart from that the case has a few marks commensurate with the age of the watch. There is also a slight blemish on the dial between indexes 5 and 6. At some stage, perhaps while servicing, the caseback was covered but you can still see the word 'Longines' printed on the back and the outline of the case back number. 

It’s very slim at 7.7mm in thickness and hugs the wrist  - in fact as so light and unassuming you forget its there, until you look at that lovely dial. The watch has no service history, but is keeping good time and within vintage watch timing parameters.