
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Longines Admiral 'Pulsations', 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 35 mm
- Stock no.
- 40991635
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991635)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Longines Admiral 'Pulsations' (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991635), 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. 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
Longines is a brand that needs no introduction. They’ve been a staple of the Swiss watchmaking industry and are well-known for their many contributions to the history of timepiece design. With a broad assortment of models and designs in their back catalog and current collections, along with an outstanding value proposition, Longines is a darling amongst enthusiasts, and its fair to say that they are a favorite amongst the Analog:Shift team! This particular model, a Reference 69-384A from their Admiral collection, dates to the 1960s and features a 35mm 14k yellow gold case with an automatic winding Calibre 342 movement. Fitted with a rare Pulsations dial, this model would have aided doctors and medical personnel in accurately measuring a patient’s pulse. With a printed pulsation scale over silver sunburst, this piece also features applied indices and a ‘Caduceus’ emblem symbolizing the official insignia of the United States Medical Corps, Navy Pharmacy Division and the Public Health Service at 6 o'clock. Finished with a signed crown and acrylic crystal, this lovely example comes fitted to a period 10k yellow gold filled Kenstenmade mesh bracelet with a textured blade clasp signed with the Longines emblem. Practical and oozing with charm, it’s a curious timepiece by modern standards, and a charming combination of purpose stunning design from the pre-digital age!
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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