I’m new to vintage watches, but I now know just enough to wonder what exactly I bought when I purchased my first watch.
On EBay I bought what the seller said was a 1945 Longines, caliber 12.68N, serial # on the movement is in the 6.885.xxx range. The seller posted a photo of what they said was an email from Longines listing the date of sale to Wirth, their agent in Switzerland at the time.
What’s now odd is that I’m looking at what the Longines email says is the reference number—5638–and I can’t find any mention of a Longines 5638 online anywhere (including in this forum).
I don’t have the tools to open the watch myself, so I’m going off the photos that the seller provided.
So I am now puzzled as to what I have. As it happens, I really like the watch, it keeps good time, and it cost me $325. So unless it is a total junker, I don’t feel like I’m out a great deal of money, even though it needs a service.
OTOH I’m puzzled as to why I can’t find any mention of a 5638 reference number for Longines. I did find a 5744 here, so 5638 doesn’t seem completely implausible. And if someone faked it, why go to the trouble of producing an “email” from Longines but providing a nonexistent reference number?
I’ve also noticed that the minute hand looks like it may be of a difference style from the hour hand. Both are blue, but the hour hand has a curvature that isn’t really there in the minute hand. But I can only tell if that’s a deviation if I can find other examples of the same reference number, which gets me back to the original problem.
Any thoughts? Is this a frankenwatch?
Thanks for any advice or pointers!
On EBay I bought what the seller said was a 1945 Longines, caliber 12.68N, serial # on the movement is in the 6.885.xxx range. The seller posted a photo of what they said was an email from Longines listing the date of sale to Wirth, their agent in Switzerland at the time.
What’s now odd is that I’m looking at what the Longines email says is the reference number—5638–and I can’t find any mention of a Longines 5638 online anywhere (including in this forum).
I don’t have the tools to open the watch myself, so I’m going off the photos that the seller provided.
So I am now puzzled as to what I have. As it happens, I really like the watch, it keeps good time, and it cost me $325. So unless it is a total junker, I don’t feel like I’m out a great deal of money, even though it needs a service.
OTOH I’m puzzled as to why I can’t find any mention of a 5638 reference number for Longines. I did find a 5744 here, so 5638 doesn’t seem completely implausible. And if someone faked it, why go to the trouble of producing an “email” from Longines but providing a nonexistent reference number?
I’ve also noticed that the minute hand looks like it may be of a difference style from the hour hand. Both are blue, but the hour hand has a curvature that isn’t really there in the minute hand. But I can only tell if that’s a deviation if I can find other examples of the same reference number, which gets me back to the original problem.
Any thoughts? Is this a frankenwatch?
Thanks for any advice or pointers!
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