MK Personal Collection/David Exquisite Rare Oversized Silver Longines Weems Pilot's Wristwatch Circa 1931
The Estate Department Collection
In stock
| Item Number | 97523 |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.0000 |
| Item Brand | Longines |
| Band Size | 11" |
| Band | Brown Leather |
| Box & Papers | None |
| Caliber | 18.69N |
| Case | Silver |
| Serial Number on Case | 4931628 |
| Circa | 1931 |
| Notes About Condition | Normal wear on case and movement |
| Condition of Movement | Running Condition Keeps Accurate Time |
| Serial Number on Movement | 5044085 |
| Crystal | Glass |
| Dial | Original |
| Gender | Men's |
| Jewels | 15 |
| Model | Wheems |
| Movement | Manual |
MK Personal Collection/David The present lot is part of a larger privately held collection and is intended for exhibition purposes only.
Exquisite Rare Oversized Silver Longines Weems Pilot's Wristwatch Circa 1931. This watch features a sweep center seconds and Weems second setting system. The watch is signed Longines, Weems Angle Hour model, No 5.044.085. The watch was manufactured in 1931. It has a Cal. 18.69N nickel-finished lever movement, 15 jewels, bimetallic compensation balance, hinged silver cuvette, the dial with Breguet numerals on white enamel chapter ring, centered by a silvered matte disc calibrated for the seconds. It is signed by hand "SOLAY", rotated while depressing the button in the band and simultaneously turning the crown, blued steel moon-style hands, sweep center seconds, in large circular case with hinged back, fixed bars, over sized ball-shaped crown, down turned lugs, case, dial and movement signed Longines. The new setting system was named after Captain Philip Van Horn Weems, U.S. Navy who also trained the famous aviator Charles A. Lindbergh.
One of Weems' inventions was the Second Setting Watch, designed to help aviators plot their courses more accurately. At sea, celestial sights had to be taken with the help of a hack watch, which was set to the ship's chronometer. It was difficult, however, to set the watch exactly, meaning that it differed slightly from the chronometer, which in turn differed from Greenwich Mean Time.
Weems deducted that the difficulty in setting the watch came from the fact that, at the time, it was almost impossible to set the second hand exactly. However, as the second hand could not be set to match the dial perfectly, the solution was to make the dial movable, so that the dial and the second hand could be synchronized at the right time. This ingenious system was subsequently patented by Longines in 1935. Another characteristic of the "Weems" watch is its large ball-sized winding crown, allowing a pilot to rewind the movement while wearing gloves.