97th Auction
2018/5/12
Lot 96
Longines Watch Co./Wittnauer "Lindbergh - Hour Angle Watch", Movement No. 6839529, Case No. 23228, Cal. 37.9, 47 mm, circa 1940
An aviator's large and rare "Hour Angle" navigation watch
Case: steel, hinged push back, silver rotating bezel with angle horaire. Dial: enamel chapter ring, centre seconds, inner silvered rotating disc.
Lindbergh - Hour Angle Watch
In the early years of aviation between 1920 and 1930 the majority of aviators wore watches created by Longines. The main reason for this was Longines' advantage in innovation, their most notable piece at the time being the Hour Angle watch.
As Earth makes one rotation of 360 degrees, a 12-hour dial is a useful tool for dividing up that distance over time. With the inner rotating bezel the aviator could use the hands of the watch to pinpoint his location accurately.
The large size and features of the watch show its history as an aviator's watch. It was easy to read in the cockpit because of its size, while its large winding crown made winding and setting easy even with gloves. The technical and mathematical functions of the watch were of course also of utmost importance in this pioneering era of aviation.
For a discussion of the Lindbergh model and illustrations of similar examples, see Marozzi, D. & Toselli, G., Longines, pp. 75-79
An aviator's large and rare "Hour Angle" navigation watch
Case: steel, hinged push back, silver rotating bezel with angle horaire. Dial: enamel chapter ring, centre seconds, inner silvered rotating disc.
Lindbergh - Hour Angle Watch
In the early years of aviation between 1920 and 1930 the majority of aviators wore watches created by Longines. The main reason for this was Longines' advantage in innovation, their most notable piece at the time being the Hour Angle watch.
As Earth makes one rotation of 360 degrees, a 12-hour dial is a useful tool for dividing up that distance over time. With the inner rotating bezel the aviator could use the hands of the watch to pinpoint his location accurately.
The large size and features of the watch show its history as an aviator's watch. It was easy to read in the cockpit because of its size, while its large winding crown made winding and setting easy even with gloves. The technical and mathematical functions of the watch were of course also of utmost importance in this pioneering era of aviation.
For a discussion of the Lindbergh model and illustrations of similar examples, see Marozzi, D. & Toselli, G., Longines, pp. 75-79
Sold
estimated
25.000—40.000 €
Price realized
23.300 €