For sale we have a 1926 Longines Sterling Silver pocket watch, with a blue enamel Saurer logo to the rear. It is an open face design with a double hinged case back. It has Swiss hallmarking for silver. Inside is a Longines calibre 19.25 movement, which is of a good quality, keeping accurate time. The serial numbers match across the inside of both hinged backs and the movement. It is presented on a chunky, curb link silver chain with T-bar, with hallmarking from London assay office dating it to 1933.
The dial is formed of enamel and has a bright white finish. It has a railroad track around the exterior, with 24-hour scale in red. Inside it has the stylised Arabic numerals which are clear. It has a simple sub-second dial, which is inset. It is signed Longines, with Switzerland above the sub-second dial.
The case is neatly designed with open face configuration, hinged front and double hinged case back. To the top is the original loop and crown which are well designed. To the rear it has a dish scale finish which is eyecatching, with the Saurer engraving filled with Blue enamel. Inside, it is marked as Sterling Silver, with the Swiss bear hallmark for 0.925 silver. It is signed with the serial numbed 4,602,759.
Inside is the Longines calibre 19.25 movement. As with any Longines movement, it is a joy to look at. It also has a rather slim design. It is a good quality 15 jewel movement, which is marked as being adjusted to 3 positions. The service history is unknown, but the movement is functioning well. It keeps time to within +25 seconds a day.
The curb link clip on chain, with T-bar attachment has silver hallmarking from London assay office, dating to 1933. It has an impressive chunky design which makes it of interest on its own.
Saurer:
Adolf Saurer AG was a Swiss manufacturer of embroidery and textile machines, trucks and buses, under the Saurer and Berna brand names. They were based in Arbon, Switzerland and were active between 1903 and 1982. Their vehicles were widely used across mainland Europe, particularly in the interwar period.
Two of Franz Saurers sons began building hand embroidery machines in their father’s foundry in 1869. By 1873 F. Saurer & Sohne was the leader among the Swiss in terms of sales and total machines built.
Saxony, Germany, was a centre for embroidery and machine development. By the 1890s German companies were Saurers strongest competition. In the late 1870s, a new, faster machine was invented. It was known as the schiffli machine, with a Jacquard punch card reader, to fully automate the process. Saurer developed their own card reader, whilst improving stitch rate and the machines width.
Embroidery as an industry, experienced many ups and downs due to fashion, trade policies and world wards. Saurer diversified into petrol and diesel engines, and then trucks, to reduce the volatility of the market.
From 1903 the company’s engine division focused on commercial vehicles and gained a good reputation. They ran subsidiary companies in Austria, France, the UK and in Germany. They also had a manufacturer under license in Italy and Poland for their engines. In the US, Saurer Motor Truck Company was headed by C.P. Coleman. They had the rights to manufacture and sell heavy trucks under the Saurer brand name in Plainfield, New Jersey.
They had 4 basic ranges of Saurer trucks, A-type (1918), B-type (1926), C-type (1934) and D-type (1959). It was the B-type which established Saurers international reputation as a builder of reliable trucks.
The company also developed Aero engines under license in 1917. They also developed their own designs and built two prototypes of a V12 design in 1918.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
A further condition report is below.
Dial:
The dial is enamel and is in good original condition. It has good and clear railroad track, arabic numerals and signing. It is a bright white tone. There are no chips or hairline fractures. It has some slight marking associated with age.
Hands:
The hands are original. They are of moon style with a thermally blued finish. The blued finish is in good condition, with a bright shine. There is no bending to the hands. The sub-second hand is also original.
Glass:
The crystal is a modern replacement, which is in good condition with only light marking.
Loop:
The crown, stem and loop are original and are in good condition.
Case:
It is a case of open face design. It is in good original condition, with light surface scratching. It has some light nicks associated with age. It is a good tone, with little tarnishing. The front is hinged and seals tightly.
Inner hinged back:
The inner hinged back is in good condition, closing tightly. It has light surface scratching associated with age.
Caseback:
The hinged case back is in good condition and closes tightly. It has a fish scale finish which is good and well defined. It has light surface scratching. The Saurer enamel motif is original. The enamel has losses associated with age.
Movement:
The movement is a Longines calibre 19.25. It is a good quality 15 jewel movement, which is manual wind. It is marked as being adjusted to 3 positions.
The service history is unknown, but the movement is functioning well. It keeps time to within +25 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 305 and a beat error of 0.5m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 50.25mm
Case length: 50.25mm
Case length with crown: 59.5mm
Case length with crown loop: 67.5mm
Case Depth: 15.5mm