
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
1960s Longines Wittnauer 17J 10K GF Pontiac Logo Dial Wristwatch
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 213066579
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 57, Exclusive Watches and Pocket watches, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1960s Longines Wittnauer 17J 10K GF Pontiac Logo Dial Wristwatch (English)
View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 213066579), this is a wristwatch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC
Circa 1960s Longines Wittnauer wristwatch featuring a rare silver-tone dial printed with the Pontiac automotive logo, gold-tone hands, and applied indices. 10K gold-filled case by Star Watch Case Co., marked inside caseback along with reference numbers. Powered by a Longines Swiss-made 17-jewel manual wind movement, serial number 12183269. Caseback stamped “10K Gold Filled” and measures approximately 34mm in diameter (excluding crown). Fitted with a black leather strap.Period:1960sCondition:Good; dial with light patina, case shows wear to gold fill, crystal with light scratches. Running at time of cataloging but not tested for accuracy.Dimensions:Case approx. 34mm diameter (excluding crown)Provenance:From a private collection.
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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