Pocket Watches · Pocket watch
Longines Yellow Gold Roulette Manual Pocket Watch, 1940
- Maker / attribution
- Longines (maker)
- Date
- 1940
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Pocket watch
- Materials / technique
- gold
- Dealer
- WatchMuseum.org shop
- Stock no.
- Product 3938
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, WatchMuseum.org shop (product 3938)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Longines Yellow Gold Roulette Manual Pocket Watch (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by WatchMuseum.org shop (stock number Product 3938), this is a pocket watch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated 1940. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Pocket Watches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. The record is illustrated with 4 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 — WatchMuseum.org shop
Step into a world of timeless elegance with the Longines Yellow Gold Roulette Manual Pocket Watch from the 1940s, a masterpiece that epitomizes the art of fine watchmaking. This exquisite timepiece, meticulously crafted from 14K yellow gold, features a captivating rotating bezel with an arrow that points to a roulette wheel, adding a unique and playful touch to its classic design. The watch’s substantial 41.5mm diameter case houses a two-tone silvered dial, adorned with raised stick hour markers and a sunken second register at the 6 o’clock position, reflecting the impeccable attention to detail synonymous with the Longines brand. As a manual wind movement watch, it not only serves as a reliable timekeeper but also stands as a testament to the enduring craftsmanship of the early 20th century. Accompanied by a custom box, this vintage piece is in good condition, making it not just a functional accessory but a luxurious statement of sophistication and heritage. Introducing the exquisite Longines 14K Yellow Gold Roulette Pocket Watch – a stunning manual timepiece featuring a rotating bezel with an arrow pointing at the roulette wheel. Crafted from 14K yellow gold, the watch boasts a 41.5mm diameter and a two-tone silvered dial with raised stick hour markers, as well as a sunken second register at 6 o’clock. This vintage piece dates back to the 1940s and comes with a custom box for safekeeping. Not only is it a functional timepiece, but it also makes for a luxurious accessory that exudes elegance and sophistication. Creator: Longines Movement: Manual Wind Period: 20th Century Date of Manufacture: 1940 Condition: Good.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The pocket watch reached technical maturity and then began to give way to the wristwatch after the First World War. Complicated watches for collectors such as Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard, railroad watches, and slim Art Deco dress watches are characteristic.
Read the period in the timelineMore pocket watches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Pocket watches
The pocket watch was the dominant personal timekeeper from the late seventeenth century until the First World War. Its development tracks the history of the escapement: verge watches with fusees until the late eighteenth century; Thomas Mudge's lever escapement (c. 1755) and the cylinder escapement popularised by George Graham and later by Swiss makers; and the Swiss and English lever watches of the nineteenth century. Lépine's bar-bridge calibre and keyless winding made watches thinner and easier to use.
Industrialisation transformed the trade: American factories such as Waltham (from 1850) and Elgin produced interchangeable parts by machine, and Swiss makers responded with their own mechanisation after the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition. By 1900 a reliable watch was affordable to millions; the finest makers continued to produce complications and precision watches.
What to look for
- The escapement: verge (crown wheel), cylinder, duplex, English or Swiss lever.
- Key winding (a square arbor in dial or back) or keyless crown winding.
- Signatures and serial numbers on the movement, dial and inside case back.
- Hallmarks, case maker's marks and gold or silver standards stamped in the case.
- Dial material: enamel, silver, gold, later printed metal.
Dating clues
- Verge watches dominate before c. 1800; cylinder watches c. 1770–1900; lever watches after c. 1820.
- Keyless winding: increasingly common after c. 1860.
- Manufacturer serial number lists exist for Waltham, Elgin, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe and others.
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.
Read next:Verge escapementDetached lever escapementFuseeIdentification Centre
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