Vintage 1950s Longines Automatic Men’s Watch, Cal. 19A, 10K Gold-Filled, Original Box — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Vintage 1950s Longines Automatic Men’s Watch, Cal. 19A, 10K Gold-Filled, Original Box

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.

Maker / attribution: Longines (maker)
Date: 1950s
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Auction house: LiveAuctioneers auction archive
Lot: Item 214438021
Credit line: Auction lot record: lot 307, Exclusive Watches and Jewelry, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original): Vintage 1950s Longines Automatic Men’s Watch, Cal. 19A, 10K Gold-Filled, Original Box (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 214438021), this is a wristwatch by Longines, made in Switzerland, dated 1950s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. 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

Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC

Vintage Longines men’s wristwatch, Swiss made, circa 1950s. Classic round case with 10K gold-filled bezel and lugs (case marked Longines-Wittnauer Watch Co., Star W.C. Co., 10K Gold Filled). Caseback also stamped 10K Gold Filled.Dial in aged champagne tone with applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9, and triangular gold markers, signed Longines Automatic Swiss. Fitted with dauphine hands, subsidiary seconds crosshair, and central sweep.Powered by the Longines caliber 19A automatic movement, signed Longines Watch Co. Swiss, Seventeen 17 Jewels, Unadjusted, serial no. 8987315, dating to the early 1950s. Movement is intact and running at cataloging.Comes fitted to a Speidel USA expansion bracelet (later replacement).Presented in its original Longines red velvet-lined display box, marked Longines – The World’s Most Honored Watch.Condition: Dial shows notable patina and wear, case with light scratches consistent with age. Box intact with expected wear.A desirable mid-century Longines automatic, notable for its 10K gold-filled case, caliber 19A movement, and original presentation box.

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: 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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Jewel bearings — Component
Self-winding (automatic) mechanism — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: LiveAuctioneers auction archive (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Vintage 1950s Longines Automatic Men’s Watch, Cal. 19A, 10K Gold-Filled, Original Box." LiveAuctioneers auction archive, Item 214438021. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/vintage-1950s-longines-automatic-mens-watch-cal-19a-10k-gold-filled-or-88e04e.