
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Longines Vintage Square Case watch, Stainless Steel, JB Champion Mesh Bracelet, 1962
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- 1962
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- stainless steel
- Stock no.
- vws4182
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws4182)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Longines Vintage Square Case watch - Stainless Steel - JB Champion Mesh Bracelet - 1962 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws4182), this is a wristwatch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated 1962. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
A sharp 1962 Longines with an attractive square case in stainless steel, stunning dial and period correct JB Champion bracelet, Model Reference 6872-8 Longines, founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, is one of the oldest continuously operating watchmakers. The brand quickly gained recognition for precision timekeeping and innovation, particularly in chronographs and aviation watches. Longines became closely associated with sports timing and exploration, supplying instruments for pilots and adventurers. Known for combining technical reliability with elegant design, Longines has built a lasting reputation as a cornerstone of traditional Swiss watchmaking. What’s on offer This 1962 Longines Reference: 6872-8 is a beautifully styled piece that perfectly captures the clean, geometric design language of the era. The square tank style stainless steel case, paired with angular lugs, gives it a distinctive architectural presence on the wrist. The dial is crisp and well-balanced, featuring a cross-hair subsidiary seconds display and faceted arrowhead indexes that mirror the sharp lines of the case. Light speckling across the dial adds a touch of honest patina, bringing warmth and character without detracting from its overall clarity. Fitted to a period JB Champion bracelet, the watch benefits from a well-made American design known for both comfort and durability. The Milanese/mesh-style construction gives it an opulent feel on the wrist while complementing the watch’s vintage aesthetic. Powered by a manual winding Longines calibre 23z movement, this piece offers reliability alongside timeless mid-century style—an elegant and slightly unconventional addition to any 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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