Longines Weems

In this age of global travel, it’s easy to take for granted the sight of contrails snaking across the sky. And yet in the early years of the last century, airplanes were a new invention. But thanks to the contributions of aviation pioneers like Alberto Santos-Dumont, whose achievements in aviation are matched by those in watches, flying became more commonplace.

Since aeronautical navigation posed its own particular challenges, there arose a need for specialized tools and timekeepers. Due to the distance traveled at higher speeds, any error in navigation—even if it was as little as 30 seconds off—would put the pilot off course by as much as seven miles. Therefore, just as John Harrison did for sailors in the Age of Sail with his marine chronometer, so too did Captain Philip Van Horn Weems do for pilots.

A native of land-locked Tennessee, Weems must have felt the call of the sea from an early age. At just nineteen, he enrolled at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. There he developed an aptitude for celestial navigation, and during his tenure with the Aircraft Squadron Battle Fleet, he encountered airplanes for the the first time.

Despite the advances undertaken in the century between the development of John Harrison’s marine chronometer and the time Captain Weems joined the Navy, the tools and charts used in navigation were just as primitive. For example, Weems—and many of his fellow navigators—had been trained to use the American Nautical Almanac. This publication used tables, first published in 1757, that called for navigators to take measurements using observations that were so complicated that few navigators could even do them.

First introduced in 1929, the Longines Weems Second-Setting Watch was the preferred timekeeping tool for navigators and pilots until the introduction of Charles Lindbergh’s version, the Hour Angle, in 1931. The Second-Setting watch allows pilots to synchronize their watches with radio signals without stopping the movement. 

The brilliant innovation was instrumental in the history of aviator watches. This particular iteration is one of the most valuable, executed in 14K yellow gold. Dating to the 1940s, the beautiful 28mm piece is powered by Longines manual-winding Calibre 10L and ready for a history lover's collection!

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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Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.