Not quite a Weems or Charles A. Lindbergh, this Longines Weems Navigation took the best of both to make a wearable, practical watch. Model reference 628.5241.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
From a copy of a letter we have seen from Longines this model was launched in 1988, and as this is only number 94 of this limited edition it must have been made quite early in the production run. It was only available to passengers on Swissair, and Swissair still offer exclusive models to its well heeled customers – currently partnering with Breitling.
CONDITION
Apparently this was part of a 2,000 piece limited edition, so opportunities to buy one will always be scarce. Longines have a long history of being the favoured watches or early aviators, and in 1931 Charles A. Lindbergh designed a Longines watch with in built sextant to aid navigation, based on a 1927 watch by Weems with a lockable outer bezel. The watch we have here is similar but without the Weems locking bezel – if you need a sextant in your watch then you had better buy the earlier watch, but you will need very deep pockets for that. Longines describe this as a Weems model on the caseback, despite not having the locking bezel.
You can buy a new version of this watch from Longines currently for £3,710. There are differences between that and this model, notably the outer turning bezel on the new watch, but the inner dial is the same.
The caliber 628.1 movement is running well, and the inner disc turning smoothly. The case only has light scratches from wear, and nothing bad. The dial has a porcelain outer section, detailed with just a hint of blue. This blue is repeated on the inner dial, and on the case back too. The inner dial is marked with 24 hour indicators rather than angles like the original navigator watches, which is more useful as you can use them as either a second time zone or as a minute reminder like a divers bezel. There are one or two little bits of dirt on the dial, otherwise it is good. The leather strap is new, and is complete with a Longines stainless steel buckle. The case size is a little larger than the fashion for 1988, which is now to it’s advantage, as is the automatic movement when so many watches of this time were battery powered. We have attached a photo of this watch atop an advert from 1989 for the Lindbergh version for comparison.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
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SIZE
Width with crown 41.8 mm
Width without crown 37.5 mm
Between lugs 20 mm
Lug to lug length 43.7 mm
Case Thickness 9.8 mm
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
