Longines Ultra-Chron Automatic Cal.431 1972

Longines

Longines is one of the oldest Swiss watch manufacturers with an unparalleled history of invention, innovation, patents and awards. The company is also responsible for some of the most beautiful watches ever made. For a long time, something of a Cinderella among the watch collecting fraternity, Longines is now rightfully returning to the elevated status they once held in the pre and post-war years. It is only relatively recently that Longines vintage watches have returned to the admiration and popularity they deserve, with values rising between 15 and 20% per year. Certain models, however, such as the now legendary Longines Calibre 13ZN chronograph have sky-rocketed.

Description

Here we have a superb, original, unrestored and untouched example of a wonderful Longines Ultra-Chron from 1972 when Longines was competing head to head with, and beating almost all of the other Swiss watch manufacturers. The wonderful watch we see here has a large tonnaeu stainless steel case that measures a large 36mm in diameter, excluding the correct Longines signed crown, along with a beautiful cross-hair dial. The watch is fitted with the high-grade Longines Calibre 431 movement which is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability. This watch also has the addition of a date function.

The Dial

The rare, fully original, unrestored and untouched black cross-hair dial is a beautiful example of Longines style and elegance; clean, classic and very understated, and the unrestored ‘stick’ hands are matched with stainless steel square hour indices. This dial is in wonderful condition and as mentioned above, has the extra addition of a date window at 3.

The company was rightfully held in very high regard for the quality of their movements and close examination of any of their watch cases reveals equal high regard for design, quality, purpose and perfection. We think almost all of Longines classic vintage dial designs were at least one step ahead, in terms of elegance and sophistication and the design here is a good example. Everything is in perfect proportion and in perfect balance and the dial just works so well.

This dial is signed with ‘Longines’ and ‘Automatic’ below 12 with ‘Ultra-Chron’ at the bottom above 6 and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The Longines Ultra-Chron Calibre 431, hi-beat movement lives in that most rarified atmosphere of some of the highest performing watches ever made. For Longines to release this watch in 1967, bill it as the world’s most accurate watch and guarantee it to be accurate to within a minute a month, was an extraordinary claim for a series produced mechanical wristwatch. The challenges are significant even today to design and build such a watch. For example, a great deal of power has to be stored and transferred by the mainspring. This, in turn, puts increased strain on the drive train of the movement. In addition, the faster-moving component parts cannot be lubricated in the normal way, simply because the oils are quickly dispersed by the faster moving parts and the teeth in particular, are subject to increased wear and friction, reducing performance. Longines mitigated this problem by coating the escape wheel teeth with a new dry lubricant named ‘molybdenum bi-sulphide’.  

As can be seen, it is without any doubt, the Longines Calibre 431 movement and other hi-beat movements of this era represented the very pinnacle of horological achievement in terms of design, engineering and accuracy. Huge resources, investment and R&D were brought into play by Longines to produce these movements. Likewise by Girard-Perregaux to produce its HF automatic and Zenith’s Hi-Beat, which of course led in 1969 to its amazingly advanced and groundbreaking Zenith El-Primero, 10-beat, automatic chronograph. It is interesting to contemplate that without the looming challenge of electronic / quartz watches, these amazing hi-beat movements might never have left the drawing board.

The movement here, as can be seen in the photographs, is as clean, bright and sparkling as you will ever see and has been expertly serviced by our vintage Longines specialist watchmaker. This involves fully dismantling the watch, three-stage ultrasonic cleaning, careful examination under high magnification of all the critical components and surfaces, replacement where necessary only with genuine Longines parts, then careful reassembly, calibration and final testing. Following restoration and immediately prior to listing, our test results show +5 seconds a day, averaged over 5 positions and a 40 hour power reserve when fully wound. Please bear in mind this is totally outstanding for any watch of this age. We are therefore highly confident in offering 12 months warranty on this watch movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Longines Watch Co Swiss’ and Twenty Five ‘25 Jewels’ and carries the movement serial number 40066796 which dates this watch to 1972.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable provided the list price is paid. 

The Watch Case 

The very high grade, large and heavy 36mm, stainless steel watch case looks simply stunning and quite bold on the wrist. This wonderful three piece case is simply stunning with the screw down case back that is signed with Longines Ultrachron, this is of full thickness which shows it has never been over polished and only worn occasionally.

This watch has obviously been very well cared for, having seen only occasional use as indicated by the all round tip-top condition of the bezel, case and case-back which show virtually no sign of wear. The case has been carefully inspected, cleaned and gently hand-polished and is in beautiful condition with no scratches, dings or other marks visible to the naked eye. No matter how closely you might wish to examine the case, it shows no signs of anything other than very light and careful limited use.

The inside of the case back is correctly signed with ‘Longines’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ along with the reference number 3517.

Please note – as ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality black leather strap has been fitted, along with a plain stainless steel buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin. We can also obtain most types and colours at short notice.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1972.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

This watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

A very special and absolutely stunning Longines hi-beat automatic vintage watch from one of the most collectable, highly regarded and time-honoured vintage watch brands. This watch will make an excellent financial investment as well as be something to use, treasure and enjoy! It is completely practical for use as an everyday watch and as long as it is well looked after and serviced every 2-3 years, it will last another lifetime. It carries a great deal more style, individuality and panache than a new watch and to buy the same quality today, would cost at least three or four times the price here.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.