It is no secret. The thing that collectors judge first about a watch is its’ appearance. Even more importantly, collectors scrutinize the dials of watches because it is ultimately the part of the watch their eyes will be looking at the most. Not only are collectors looking for the overall aesthetics of the dial of a watch, they are also looking at it for originality. This scrutiny, to some, is more extreme with vintage watches.

One opinion that has become somewhat inherent with collectors is the love for vintage watches with black dials. This Longines is a great example of what collectors love. Interestingly, this has been a hard piece to research - the markings on the case were minimal, and there is only one other example of this piece online and the website does not seem to be functioning. But, there are still plenty of information this watch can tell us.

First of all, the watch is a 34mm time-only piece manufactured by Longines in 1953. Looking at the caseback, there is an inscription that states “10K gold filled D&A”. This would indicate that the case of the watch was 10k gold filled. However, looking at the watch, the case appears to be stainless steel - the first interesting part of this watch. What likely happened is the 10k gold filling, being fairly fragile, came off during its lifetime. A watchmaker likely polished off the remaining gold filling and exposure the stainless steel case. This is also likely because the example we found online appears to have a gold case.

The D&A case stamp is referencing the casemaker. The case was manufactured by DiVincenzo & Arienti, a Brooklyn-based case maker who manufactured cases for brands like Longines, Omega, Rolex, and Hamilton. Swiss brands were taxed at quite high rates during this period for importing cases. To avoid the high taxes, many brands would commission cases to be made in the USA that were destined to be sold in the USA. This reference is a good example of this. We have covered a few pieces that had cases made by Divencenzo & Arienti, like this solid gold Longines with an incredibly attractive case with diamond and guilloche dial.

Although the case no longer has its gold filling, the steel still has a fairly attractive personality. The case is a two part case, with a snap-on caseback. The lugs are long and flat, making the watch sit quite large for a 34mm watch. The steel still has sharp corners, and overall design is very attractive.

The dial of the watch is really breathtaking. The watch features an incredible black dial that has aged so evenly overtime. It retains its’ deep black colour, with even specs on the dial. The watch has recessed hour markers that a silver tone. The Longines logo is applied and the Longines name appears to be printed on the dial. The subsidiary seconds dial uses a similar motif, with circular finishing. It also has sword hands which give the watch a very strong look to it. Simple, Attractive, and beautiful are perfect ways of describing the watch.

Popping off the caseback, one can see additional caseback markings. The watch was sold by the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company that operated out of New York and Montreal. The companies name is engraved on the inside case back. Wittnauer was a successful brand in the USA, and was acquired by Longines in 1950, just after World War II where they became a distribution partner for Longines. In 1969, Longines-Wittnauer was sold to Westinghouse Electric Corporation and in 1994, Longines ended their distribution relationship with Wittnauer. But, during their partnership, many different models hit the market that are of interest to collectors today. The caseback also confirms the fact that it was a 10K gold filled watch manufactured by DiVincenzo & Arienti. Unfortunately there is no reference number on the caseback, which made researching this piece difficult.

The watch is running on the caliber 23Z movement. The 23Z movement has a sister movement, The caliber 23ZS. The 23Z movement has a subsidiary dial whereas the 23ZS has a center secords hand. The movement is a fairly historic movement for Longines. It was introduced in 1948 and was an upgrade from its predecessor, the caliber 10.68Z that was introduced in 1925. To upgrade the movement, the movement had a shock resistance system and anti-magnetic protection which were both concepts that were made extremely evident after World War II. It is also quite historic considering how much of an impact the War had on European economies, so to release a new caliber so close afterwards was astonishing. Longines later produced the 23ZD, ‘D’ describing the addition of a date complication to the movement. The 23ZS and 23Z were replaced by the caliber 280 and caliber 370 in 1960.

On the bridge that suspends the balance wheel, one can see an engraving that reads “LXW”. This inscription was the import code used by the Longines Wittnauer group when they imported movements from Switzerland to the USA. So, it is likely this movement was put together in Switzerland, shipped and imported to the USA. It then met up with it’s case made by DiVincenzo & Arienti.

While the watch has some quirks, and a reference number is unknown at this time, this Longines is the epitome of beautiful. Black dials will forever be desired by collectors because in vintage watches it seems like they are more rare. And in an attractive watch like this Longines, they really cannot be beaten.

Enjoy!