Extremely well preserved Longines Military Style Trench Watch with lovely Articulated Lugs Dating to 1938

A great example of a fantastic Longines Trench Style Watch, with a stainless-steel case, painted black Roman numeral hour markers with a ‘Red 12’. Caliber 12.68Z, 15j signed movement, hinged case with inner hinged dust cover all with numbers matching the movement number. This movement number dates this particular watch to c.1938.  

A manual wind sub-seconds watch, this early example has, what we call, a bimetallic balance. With wonderful and rare articulated lugs, which are in excellent condition as often these are worn or damaged and sometimes both! The Longines dial signature is displayed above the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock, with Jays, London displayed below the “Red 12”, and this will have been the supplying jeweler!  

Jay's were ‘Watchmaker, Jeweller & Silversmith’ with shops in Regent Street, London and 366 Essex Road, Islington, during this period, holder of Royal Warrants to Her Majesty the Queen, The Prince of Wales and Empress Frederick of Germany. They later opened branches in Charlotte Street, London, and King's Road, Brighton, trading as 'Jay's, The County Jewellers' by 1930.  

This watch is in the general style of what is usually referred to as a “trench watch” meaning worn during ww1 and other ‘early conflicts’ of the period. A very popular and historic wristwatch in its 32mm case, an oversized model for the period.  

The Breguet watch hands on this particular watch were designed by watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, these hands are long and elegant with a ring and pointed tip at the end and really complement this wonderful watch. Being very delicate and elegant this style of hands became a great success and we feel you can see why!  

This particular piece is in great working condition, showing signs of wonderful aging in our opinion, with what once was a white dial now looking an even grey, really adding to the vintage character of this piece which was most likely issued just before the second world war started in 1939, and most likely was worn during that conflict.  

The case back is engraved “W.G.Wilson” and “205325”. We have not been able to get any information on this person or the relevance of the number as this is different to the inside case back/movement number.  

All in all a great example of a Longines trench watch.