THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: LONGINES
MODEL: 9025
YEAR: 1961
BOX/PAPERS: YES/YES(ARCHIVE)
CASE DIAMETER: 35MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K ROSE GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
Here at Falco, we’re fortunate to handle a wide array of vintage watches on a daily basis. But every so often, something comes through the door that truly makes us stop and just go, wow.
Longines was founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, and is one of the oldest watch brands still in continuous operation. During the early to mid-twentieth century, Longines was one of the leading manufacturers of precision timepieces, particularly renowned for its chronographs. These watches were also among the very first to be catalogued, studied, and collected when vintage watch collecting began to emerge as a hobby, helped in no small part by Longines’ remarkably detailed archive of serial numbers and production records spanning well over a century.
Longines introduced the Conquest line in 1954 as its flagship collection—and, incidentally, it was the first watch line to have its name officially protected by the Federal Intellectual Property Office in Bern. The original ref. 9001 showcased the brand’s latest innovations at the time: an in-house automatic movement and a water-resistant case. It also featured a stunning champlevé enamel medallion inlaid into the caseback, an element that would become the signature of the Conquest line.
In the 1960s, Longines introduced several variations of the Conquest Deluxe, crafted in precious metals and aimed at clients who wanted to make a statement. The present example is a rare variation in 18K rose gold, dating to 1961. It’s hard to believe the watch has just celebrated its 64th birthday: the case has only been lightly polished in the past and retains most of its original chamfers. The star of the show, however, is the rose gold "pie-pan" dial, featuring applied baton hour markers, an applied three-dimensional chapter ring with beautifully polished facets, and a date window at 12 o’clock with a matching rose gold date wheel.
What sets this example even further apart is that it was commissioned for and delivered to Sheikh Abdullah Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait at the time. The Longines signature and logo, which would normally sit at 12 o’clock, have been relocated to the 6 o’clock position, while an applied signature of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Sabah occupies the 12 o’clock position. According to the Longines archives, the watch was delivered to Behbehani, the brand’s agent in Kuwait, in June 1961.
Inside, the calibre 291 is running beautifully at -4 s/d, with 299° amplitude and a 0.3 ms beat error. The watch comes complete with its original box, original buckle, and an Extract from the Archives from Longines. Vintage gold dress watches continue to represent incredible value in today’s market, and this one is truly something special.