Here we have an honest example of a 1958 Longines Flagship reference 104. It is a well sized watch with a 35.5mm stainless steel case. Inside it has a manual wind Longines calibre 30LS movement, with the sweep central second. The champagne dial is pleasantly aged, with an even speckled patination. It has the rose gold tone hour markers, with rose gold tone hands and winged hourglass logo. The case has the curved lug design, with the original Longines crown to the right. To the rear is the screwback with the Flagship motif, marked with the reference 104.
As well as Chronographs, military watches and divers, Longines also produced excellent time only waterproof pieces. Introduced in 1957, the Flagship was designed as a dependable and stylish daily companion. With the elegant design and waterproof case, it was a hybrid piece capable of sports use or evening wear. A true ‘good’ Swiss watch. The model is still a Longines line in a modern form, with re-issue pieces also being created.
The dial is the standout aspect of this piece with its unique, even speckled patination. This particular variation of ageing is often found on watches which have been exposed to hot and humid conditions. The result is an eye-catching individual ageing, which is a joy to look at. It’s almost Leopard spotted!
The base tone is champagne and it has beautiful applied rose gold tone hour markers of a tapered design. It is neatly balanced with longer markers at 12, 3, 6 and 9. The central second track sits within the hour markers creating a further balance to the dial. The Longines name is below 12 O’clock with the applied winged hourglass logo. The Flagship name is above 6, with the Swiss signing below 6 O’clock.
The facetted Dauphine hour and minute hand are beautiful. They have the original luminous in-fill to the centre, which is an aged tone and is intact. The central second hand has a tapered end and is also original in the same rose gold tone.
The case is well proportioned, measuring 35.5mm x 35.5mm. It has a good lug-to-lug measurement of 42.25mm. It is formed of Stainless Steel and has a curved taper to the lugs with a bevelled design. It has a polished finish with the thin bezel and flat sides to the case. To the right is the Longines crown which is good and original, with the domed design and Longines signing. The case back has 6 notches for opening, with the Flagship motiff and the reference 104 signing. It has signs of polishing. The inside is signed with the Longines name, with the Flagship italic signing. It is marked with the reference 104. It has the original lead seal to the outside which aided waterproofing. This has been left original.
Inside is the Longines calibre 30LS manual wind movement. It has a jewel count of 17 and has a sweep central second hand. It benefits from shock proofing and has a frequency of 18,000 BPH. The service history is unknown but it is keeping reliable time to within +/- 5 seconds a day.
Please note, the top lugs are slightly bent inwards and the case has some denting with age.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
A further condition report is below.
Dial:
The dial is original and is in a pleasing patinated condition. It is an aged Champagne tone which has developed a unique speckled patination. The rose gold tone applied hour markers are very good, without corrosion. The minute dashes around the inside of the hour markers are clear. The applied winged hour glass logo is good, with no corrosion. The black Longines signing below 12 is slightly blurred, as is the Flagship signing above 6.
Hands:
The hands are of luminous Dauphine style and are original. They are a rose gold tone and are in good condition. The luminous in-fill is intact and original and the rose gold finish is good with no obvious marking. The tapered central second is a rose gold tone and is also good and original.
Glass:
The acrylic crystal is a replacement which is in perfect condition.
Crown:
The crown is stainless steel and is original with Longines signing. It has some marking to the polished finish but is in overall good condition.
Case:
The case is Stainless Steel and shows signs of its age. The bezel and top of the lugs have a polished finish, with some denting and light scratching. The top lugs are slightly bent inwards compared to the bottom lugs. There is an area of dinting to the bezel/side of the case around 10 O’clock. The case has signs of polishing over its life.
Caseback:
The 6 notch screw back is in decent condition for the age. It has signs of polishing which age and has some light scratching. The Flagship motif has rubbed but the outlines are still visible with the 104 reference. Inside it has the correct Longines stamping. It has the original lead seal for water resistance.
Strap:
The watch comes on a new genuine leather strap, which is non Longines. The buckle is non Longines.
Movement:
The movement is a Longines calibre 30LS. It is a manual wind movement, with sweep central second. It has a jewel count of 17 and a frequency of 18,000 BPH.
The movement has been recently serviced. It’s keeping time to within +/- 5 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 240 degrees and a beat error of 1.4m/s.
Case Dimensions:
Case width: 35.5mm
Case width with crown: 38.5mm
Case length: 35.5mm
Case length lug to lug: 42.25mm
Case Depth: 10mm
Lug width: 17mm