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1960s Longines Wittnauer 23Z 17J 10K GF 32.5mm Dress Watch w/ Bracelet — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

1960s Longines Wittnauer 23Z 17J 10K GF 32.5mm Dress Watch w/ Bracelet

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Longines (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Lot
Item 213071997
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 60, Exclusive Watches and Pocket watches, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
1960s Longines Wittnauer 23Z 17J 10K GF 32.5mm Dress Watch w/ Bracelet (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 213071997), 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 dress wristwatch with 10K gold-filled case measuring approximately 32.5mm (excluding crown). Silver-tone dial with applied gold-tone hour markers, gold-tone hands, and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. Powered by a Swiss-made Longines Cal. 23Z manual wind movement with 17 jewels, serial number 9377430. Inside caseback marked “Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co. Inc., 10K Gold Filled, Star W.C. Co., 204263.” Fitted with a matching gold-tone Speidel expansion bracelet.Period:1960sCondition:Good; light case wear, dial shows slight patina, crystal with minor scratches. Running at time of cataloging but not tested for accuracy.Dimensions:Case approx. 32.5mm 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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