Longines Lindbergh’s Atlantic Voyage Watch

[Wombat]

In 1933 the American aviator Charles Lindbergh set off with his wife on a trip of 47,000 km around the North Atlantic. Having achieved a remarkable technical and human feat in being the first man to fly non-stop across the North Atlantic in his Spirit of St. Louis, Lindbergh wanted to explore possible future air routes across the far north before returning to the USA via Cape Verde and Brazil. The equipment Lindbergh took with him on his long expedition included a wrist chronograph created specially by Longines for this very purpose. Today Longines is re-issuing this exceptional timepiece, known as the Longines Lindbergh’s Atlantic Voyage Watch, as a tribute to the historical feat achieved by this pioneer of the skies.

The time-piece Longines created for him had a wristwatch chronograph movement with a 30-minute counter. It measured time to the fifth of a second and the chronograph mechanism also had a tachymeter that could measure speeds of up to 500 kph. With the flying conditions that were experienced by the Lindberghs, a reliable time-piece was one of the final safeguards as far as navigational instruments were concerned.

Longines’ creation of this timepiece for the Lindberghs’ trip around the North Atlantic was evidence of the confidence that the American aviator had in the Swiss watch manufacturer. In 1927 the time-measuring instruments created by Longines enabled the International Aeronautical Federation, for which the company had been an official supplier since 1919, to measure the duration of Lindbergh’s flight from New York to Paris with great precision. Subsequently, by virtue of his experience as a pilot and navigator, Lindbergh devised a system to improve the aerial and nautical navigation of the period. He contacted Longines, who put his invention into practice by producing the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch. Together with a sextant and a nautical almanac, the watch could be used to determine geographical position by calculating one’s exact longitude. In 1933, to mark its productive collaboration with Lindbergh, Longines designed the watch chronograph especially for the Lindbergh’s’ trip around the North Atlantic.







Technical specifications

Reference
......• Longines Lindbergh’s Atlantic Voyage Watch
......• L2.730.4.11.0 (steel case)
......• L2.730.8.11.0 (18 carat rose gold case)

Calibre
......• Self-winding mechanical movement L705 (ETA A07 231)
......• Power-reserve of 46 hours

Functions
......• Hours, minutes, small seconds, tachymeter
......• Chronograph
......• Centre seconds
......• 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock

Case
......• Steel or 18 carat rose gold
......• Ø 47.50 mm
......• Solid case back over transparent sapphire glass back cover

Crown
......• Push-piece function for opening the case back

Water-resistance
......• To 30 m (~100 feet), 3 bar

Glass
......• Sapphire

Strap
......• Genuine brown alligator with buckle

[Wombat]

That is one gorgeous looking watch! It is a fair size, though, at 47.5mm; but even with the trend to large watches it is probably on the high end of what many people will still be comfortable with. Perhaps 44mm would have been better. This isn't so complicated that they needed the extra room.

The nitpick about the size aside, I really like the looks of this watch, especially the steel version! It looks great on that strap, but I must be going through a black strap phase because I keep wondering how it would look on a nice black croc strap.

I don't know how much it will be. The announcements I've seen have not mentioned it, but I don't expect it to be cheap. Oh well.

[marsss25]

Having achieved a remarkable technical and human feat in being the first man to fly non-stop across the North Atlantic in his Spirit of St. Louis…

That is a beautiful watch, the second Lindberg watch I've seen.

Can I venture a small correction to the above? Lindberg was the first SOLO transatlantic flyer. Alcock and Brown had achieved a Newfoundland to Ireland flight on June 14-15, 1919.

Alcock and Brown - Great Britain

[KILOFINAL]

very nice....I love the blue hands.

[GLADIATOR]

The 'watch' is outstanding, but not the modern copy.
Trust me to compare the dal between a 193X model and this nre re-lease.

Go on EBay and search for an original better wath and probably cheaper

[alton1]

Another Longines beauty with a history behind its design!

[Wombat]

I agree, it is good to have a history and to make the most of it. But I hope that they don't start to overdo the Lindbergh angle!

[Widows Son]

That is one gorgeous looking watch! It is a fair size, though, at 47.5mm; but even with the trend to large watches it is probably on the high end of what many people will still be comfortable with. Perhaps 44mm would have been better. This isn't so complicated that they needed the extra room.

The nitpick about the size aside, I really like the looks of this watch, especially the steel version! It looks great on that strap, but I must be going through a black strap phase because I keep wondering how it would look on a nice black croc strap.

I don't know how much it will be. The announcements I've seen have not mentioned it, but I don't expect it to be cheap. Oh well.

I did some research. The SS model is going for around 5K. Ouch!!!!!

[Foxer55]

wombat,

I agree, it is good to have a history and to make the most of it. But I hope that they don't start to overdo the Lindbergh angle!

That's a play on words, right?

" The Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch was designed by Col. Charles A. Lindbergh as a Navigational
Aid for Pilots. Used in Conjunction with a Sextant, a Nautical Almanac and a Radio set for Receiving the Time Signal, it Made Possible the Rapid Determination of the Greenwich Hour Angle, i.e., Longitude." - Farfo's Watches

One could always ask if there's a Lindbergh Angle like there's a Brewster's Angle or a Trihedral Angle.

[Foxer55]

It certainly is a beautiful timepiece but, alas, as someone said, it is not the original layout. And it is a huge piece at 47.5mm. But worthy of acquiring.