Longines 1938 Chronostop

Collectors of vintage chronographs should know Longines well. Their chronographs of the 1930s and 1940s represent the pinnacle of chronograph production. This excellence in timekeeping is typified in the minds of collectors by the 13ZN. Released in 1936, the 13ZN was the first chronograph wristwatch to feature a flyback function, which allows the wearer to reset the chronograph without having to stop it first. Upon its release, the 13ZN became a favorite among aviators, who used the feature for navigation, and has gained something of a cult status among modern collectors.

But while the 13ZN has certainly gained a respectable following, there are other early chronographs by Longines that deserve consideration--not just because of their rarity. They, like the 13ZN, represent an era when achievements in horology reached their zenith, marrying traditional designs with the cutting-edge technology of the day. The Longines monopusher or chronostop combines two elements that Longines did well, yet rarely put together: a central-minutes counter and a single pusher.   

The single or monopusher chronograph is a holdover from the days when watches were carried in the pocket, not worn on the wrist. The origin of the chronograph in pocket watches is disputed, but it's known that master French watchmaker, Louis Moinet, produced a stopwatch-like timepiece in 1816. These early pocket-bound chronographs all bore a single pusher that starts, stops, and resets the chronograph function.

Longines bears the distinction of producing the first chronograph wristwatch in 1913. This watch carried within its modest 29mm case the Calibre 13.33Z, precursor to the celebrated 13ZN. Longines capitalized on this innovation two decades later with the development of the flyback chronograph in 1936. Without the addition of another pusher to reset the chronograph, the chronograph simply could not be reset without stopping it first--until the flyback chronograph made that a reality. Prices on these early 13ZN chronographs have climbed into the stratosphere, and furor to find and own one has reached such a fever pitch that a collector in search of a vintage chronograph from Longines may throw up their hands and look no further... and yet. 

While the 13ZN was gaining a following among aviators, Longines also had another chronograph movement in its arsenal. The Calibre 12.86Z, based on the Calibre 12L, debuted around the same time as the 13ZN, if not shortly after, and can be found in Longines watches from the 1940s on. A monopusher chronograph movement, the 12.86Z — like the 13ZN — also features a flyback mechanism, but also has a central minutes counter in blued steel addition to the central seconds hand and sub-register at 6 o'clock.

This design, similar to the Omega Chronostop, is perfect for timing multiple events at once. While more primitive and perhaps not as utilitarian as the more popular double pusher system (which Breitling developed in 1934), the Longines monopusher chronograph — or chronostop — is certainly attractive, and rare to find in great condition as the one we have here.

This piece features a 32.5mm stainless steel case, a correct unsigned crown, single pusher at 2 o'clock and a white dial that has patinated to a creamy tone. The dial features printed Arabic indices, a matching blued-steel handset, a subsidiary seconds display at 6 o'clock and a tachymeter scale bordering the dial's periphery. 

The Longines Chronostop is a fantastic call-back to the watches we started offering over 10 years ago, so seeing one grace the website makes us a bit nostalgic. Frankly, it looks just as good, if not better 10 years later. 

Like fine wine, the Longines Chronostop just gets better with age.

Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, Longines was at the sharp end of the watchmaking spear during the beginnings of modern horology. Constantly innovating, the company devised some of the most important wristwatches of the 20th century. Indeed, by 1919, Longines was the official supplier of timepieces for the International Aeronautical Federation, working to develop highly accurate navigation chronometers for many of the era's great aviation pioneers.

Most famous among Longines' forays into navigation pieces is the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch, a wristwatch designed by famed aviator Charles Lindberg in conjunction with the brand to allow aviators to calculate, with the help of a sextant and a known latitude, their exact geographic location.

From the 1930s to the 1950s, Longines also released a series of stunning time-only watches. Often referred to as “Calatravas” after the iconic model by Patek Philippe, most of these watches had thin stainless steel cases at 32-35mm, standard sizes for the time. Like the Patek Philippe Calatrava, these timepieces were known for their perfect proportions and the elegant simplicity of their designs.

But it wasn’t just time-only watches that drew the attention of clients the world over — particularly in the Americas: The company’s caliber 13ZN, first released in 1936, is widely regarded as one of the finest chronograph movements ever devised by any brand. This development would form the basis of work in sports timing, in which Longines developed timepieces with flyback functionality as well as 1/100th-second counters.

Today, Longines produces a remarkable number of watches annually — over 1.5 million of them — and rakes in over $1B in annual revenue through the sale of everything from simple quartz watches to sophisticated moon phases and chronographs. Incredibly, they produced their 51 millionth timepiece in 2019 and in some ways, it feels like the brand is just getting started.

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