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Lagonda Esthetic, 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Lagonda (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 35 mm
Stock no.
40991813
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991813)
Catalogue title (original)
Lagonda Esthetic (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991813), this is a wristwatch by Lagonda, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 35 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

What is it about vintage watches that gets our hearts racing? It’s the quaint aesthetic, beautiful patina, and the history they represents that tugs at our heartstrings time and time again. And if we can betray our romanticism for a moment, it’s the untold stories imbued into each and every mark, scuff and scratch that give a timepiece that undeniable charm we so desperately love. This Lagonda Esthetic has all of these features. Founded in 1946, Lagonda traces its humble beginnings to the beautiful coastal city of Gothenburg, Sweden and largely remained within the Swedish market until the 1970s before disappearing into the horological history books. Dating to the 1960s, this piece features a 35mm stainless steel case and a fabulous, black-silver ‘tuxedo’ dial with tritium indices, a coin-edge hour track, a matching luminous ‘obelisk’ handset, and a constant-seconds subsidiary register at 6 o’clock. Powered by a hand-wound Schild Calibre 130 movement, it's appropriately outfitted with an Analog:Shift Black Widow Alligator-Pattern leather strap with a matching steel pin buckle. It’s not the Lagonda of Aston Martin lore, but it sure is an amazing vintage find given its outstanding condition and fantastic aesthetic . Try it on for size!

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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