Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Longines 'Salmon' Pointer Date, 1940s
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- 1940s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 36 mm
- Stock no.
- 40992900
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40992900)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Longines 'Salmon' Pointer Date (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40992900), this is a wristwatch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated 1940s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 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
In our opinion, Longines doesn't quite get the respect that they deserve. That isn’t to say that they aren't held in high regard. But the level of innovation, craftsmanship, and design that Longines has demonstrated over the course of their history simply cannot be understated, and certainly extends to a wide variety of timepieces across the board. Take this vintage dress watch, for example: Dating to the 1940s and housed in a 36mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal and a brushed bezel, it features one of the most beautiful salmon dials in stellar condition with a pointer date -- a distinctive signature for Longines. The stainless steel Calatrava style case is also in great condition with a concave bezel. For a 1940s piece, this watch was far ahead of its time, and its midcentury pieces like this one that are the inspiration for many of the modern watches the brand makes. This is the type of versatile piece that can be worn everyday, or slipped onto an alligator leather strap for dressier occasions. Perfect for both men and women, it features a stunning dial configuration that simply isn’t found on many modern timepieces, and we love it. This piece reminds us why Longines pieces from this period are becoming increasingly coveted in serious collecting circles.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
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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