First, forgive me if, in all my newbie-ness to this site, I posted this in the wrong place. I would appreciate any posting guidance that's out there. That being said, I have a very unusual Longines-Lindbergh Hour Angle watch. I say unusual because of the hundreds I've seen online, I haven't seen one exactly like the one I have. It belonged to my deceased husband's father who, I believe, purchased it somewhere in the late 30s or 40s.
What makes it unusal is that, first, the case is not hinged. There is a small but weird looking contraption at the base of the case with some kind of spring/mechanical doohickey. Again, forgive my lack of technical terms. Secondly, there are two side dials for winding, I assume one for the time, and one for something else (?). The dials are flat and circular, not the little crown-like type I've seen elsewhere. Third, there is a printed inscription on the back that reads "invented by Col Chas A Lindbergh, US Patent No. 1923305. Now, I've seen that inscription on only one other watch, but it did not have that little contraption at the bottom. I am afraid to open the case for fear of damaging something. I brought it to a jeweler who asked me not to sell it too soon as he wanted to get more info on it. He opened the case for me and there is engraving on the inside as well along with a date that he told me was when the watch had last been repaired by a jeweler (?). The date was sometime in 1956.
If there is anyone out there who would like to see photographs, please let me know. Has anyone seen this type of Hour Angle anywhere? I've seen so many watches online in the last few weeks my head is ticking.
What makes it unusal is that, first, the case is not hinged. There is a small but weird looking contraption at the base of the case with some kind of spring/mechanical doohickey. Again, forgive my lack of technical terms. Secondly, there are two side dials for winding, I assume one for the time, and one for something else (?). The dials are flat and circular, not the little crown-like type I've seen elsewhere. Third, there is a printed inscription on the back that reads "invented by Col Chas A Lindbergh, US Patent No. 1923305. Now, I've seen that inscription on only one other watch, but it did not have that little contraption at the bottom. I am afraid to open the case for fear of damaging something. I brought it to a jeweler who asked me not to sell it too soon as he wanted to get more info on it. He opened the case for me and there is engraving on the inside as well along with a date that he told me was when the watch had last been repaired by a jeweler (?). The date was sometime in 1956.
If there is anyone out there who would like to see photographs, please let me know. Has anyone seen this type of Hour Angle anywhere? I've seen so many watches online in the last few weeks my head is ticking.
