J. Coatsworth & Son Private Label Longines

[Dave Coatsworth]

A recent purchase. If I'm understanding Longines serial numbers correctly, I think this was made around 1880. The watch case is inscribed to 'James Glasson', who shows up in an 1879 census in Vinegar Hill, which is just north of Galena. He is listed as a miner. Perhaps he had a good day at the mines and decided to buy himself a nice watch.

It is 18S, appears to be 15 jewels, and is lever set.

[Grant Perry]

Nice one Dave! You can contact Longines as well and they will give you the info they have from their records, sometimes they can tell you who it was sold to as well.
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[Michael R. Dutton]

Nice one Dave! You can contact Longines as well and they will give you the info they have from their records, sometimes they can tell you who it was sold to as well.

Well not necessarily true. Longines did not sell directly to jewelers and watchmakers here in the US. They sold to Wittnauer, in New York City, as I may recall. Wittnauer then distributed the Longines watches to the various dealers in the US.

My great-great-grandfather sold Longines watches in his jewelry store in Washington, D.C. I have one of his private label Longines watches cased in sterlng silver.

I contacted Longines and they told me that I needed to contact Wittnauer. Unfortunately Wittnauer's records from the late 1800s and early 1900s, as i recall, no longer exist.

[Grant Perry]

That could be. The one that Longines provided info on forme was a Mappin Campaign wrist watch from 1914. They were able to tell me the production date and when it was sold.
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