Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Longines - Men's automatic wristwatch - 1951
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- c. 1951
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- gold
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 162791958
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 359, Prestige Jewelry, Watches, Champagne Auctions (2023), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- Longines - Men's automatic wristwatch - 1951 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 162791958), this is a wristwatch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1951. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. The record is illustrated with 3 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 — Champagne Auctions
Longines Men's automatic wristwatch (1951) Description: Model 2834-22AS, plated in 10 kt gold, circa 1951 Dimension (PO): Diametre 30mm Dimension (CM): Diametre 30mm Condition report: Good working order, small scratches on the back, rust marks on needles
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
Automatic (self-winding) watches
Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.
What to look for
- A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
- 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
- A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.
Dating clues
- Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
- Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
- Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.
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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