Vintage Longines watches.
Longines holds the distinction of being the oldest Swiss watch brand in continuous production, founded in Saint-Imier in 1832. For nearly two centuries the brand has been synonymous with elegant dress watches, aviation instruments, and equestrian timing. Their vintage pieces, particularly the slender automatic dress watches of the 1960s and 1970s, are celebrated for thin profiles, beautifully finished movements, and a timeless restraint that defines the best of Swiss horology.
Frequently asked questions
Is Longines a luxury watch brand?
Longines is one of the oldest and most respected Swiss names, historically positioned just below the very top tier. That heritage makes its vintage dress watches exceptional value today.
How do I find out when my Longines was made?
Longines maintains a full archive and can confirm the production date and original configuration from the serial number. The movement and reference also help place a watch to its era.
Are vintage Longines watches a good investment?
The elegant dress watches are bought mainly to wear and offer wonderful quality for the money. The rare vintage chronographs are the pieces that have appreciated most sharply.
Do your Longines watches come with a warranty?
Every watch is inspected before listing and covered by our 14-day returns, so you can return it for a full refund if it is not as described.
Do you sell second hand Longines watches?
Yes. Every Longines watch we sell is second hand, and we use "pre-owned" and "vintage" to mean the same thing: someone owned the watch before you. The words differ only in age. Pre-owned and second hand say nothing about when a watch was made, while vintage conventionally means roughly thirty years or older. Our Longines stock spans both, and every listing states the year where we can confirm it from the caseback, papers or movement, and says so plainly where we cannot.
Are old Longines watches worth buying?
An old Longines in honest condition is usually better value than a new fashion watch at the same money, because the depreciation has already happened and you are buying a watch that has proved it lasts. What matters is the individual piece rather than the age: an original dial, a case that has not been over-polished, and a movement that has been serviced or is priced to allow for it. We inspect and test every Longines watch in London and describe wear in plain English rather than cropping it out of the photographs.
What makes a Longines watch a classic?
A classic watch is one whose design has stopped dating, and the test is simply time: a shape that looked right thirty years ago and still looks right now. In practice that means restraint, a legible dial, proportions that suit a wrist rather than a trend, and a case shape that was not chasing the fashion of its decade. The classic Longines designs are the ones that keep reappearing in our stock precisely because people kept them and wore them, which is the most honest evidence a design has lasted.
What is the difference between a vintage and an antique Longines watch?
Antique conventionally means a hundred years or older, and vintage roughly thirty years or older, so almost everything described as an antique wristwatch is really a vintage one. Wristwatches only became common after the First World War, which is why genuine antique examples are mostly pocket watches. Our Longines collection is vintage and pre-owned rather than antique, and each listing gives the year or era we have been able to confirm.
