For the advanced collector looking for something that combines technical sophistication with genuine rarity, this lovely 1967 gentleman’s automatic Longines will be very appealing. At this time, HM King Hussein of Jordan ordered a batch of watches from Longines with custom made dials that featured his name and a stylised rendition of the Jordanian crown emblem. These were given out as gifts to senior military officers and prominent members of the civil service whenever the King wished to show his gratitude or acknowledge high achievement.

In almost thirty years as vintage wristwatch dealers, this is only the second example of one of these watches that we have owned. Interestingly, King Hussein’s crest was not only applied to this model, but later, as the 1970s progressed, appeared also on the Admiral automatic as well. We can assume from this that the relationship between His Majesty and the Longines company was one that proved beneficial for both parties, particularly as we have never seen the Jordanian crown on any other brand.

This watch is in a heavily gold plated case. Its condition is excellent throughout, though there is some very minor wear commensurate with a piece of this age that has been lightly used and well cared for. We can assume that the recipients of these watches were rightly proud of their association with the King and were likely to have reserved the use of their gifts for official or special occasions. It is important to appreciate that it was impossible for a member of the public to buy one of these items and that they could only be obtained by currying favour with royalty.

Internally, this case is signed “Plaque Or G, 40 Microns” ( this refers to the thickness of gold used to plate the base metal case), together with “Longines, Fab Suisse, Swiss Made” and the firm’s famous winged hourglass emblem. Also present is the model reference 8008 2. Externally, the case back is smooth and has the stamping “15 387780”.

The dial is lightly silvered and signed “Longines Automatic, Swiss Made” below its centre point. In its upper section is the royal coronet and the name of King Hussein. It is worth noting how the royal decoration has usurped the Longines logo as it would have been on a conventional watch from the company’s range. This is clearly a mark of respect and it is fascinating to speculate as to whether this very deliberate position shift was specified by the Jordanian royal house before these dials were produced, or if Longines took the initiative and adopted a deferential stance without prompting.

Very importantly to the serious collector, this dial is in very good condition and is entirely original. It would be untrue to describe it as mint because there is some minor foxing across the dial surface, but finding a better untouched dial on this rare model might well be an impossible task. This watch will almost certainly be sold to someone who is an enthusiast rather than a casual buyer and at this level, dial originality is vitally important. The presence of a refinished, so-called “restored” dial on a watch like this one will have a very adverse affect on its commercial worth and such examples should be avoided when buying for investment. This dial is guaranteed to be totally untouched and despite its slight spotting, is of a grade that is suitable for inclusion in a high level collection.

All three hands are original and in very good condition. In pitched dauphin form, they perfectly match the art deco gilt spearhead batons. The winding crown is also correct for this model. These points are important. We know from bitter experience on all too many occasions that locating the correct hands, winding crowns etc for specific models of vintage watches by the top tier Swiss makers is time consuming, frustrating and expensive. We would advise any of our buyers to pay a little over the odds in the first instance and acquire a watch that is entirely original and correct throughout rather than cut corners and purchase something that has aspects that are non-standard and then try to put these right at a later date. Ironically, the process of returning a watch back to factory standard specification can often result in a total outlay that exceeds the cost of obtaining a first rate item in the first place. This watch is unmodified and exactly as it should be.

While the Jordanian royal crest defines this watch as a rarity, the sophistication of its calibre 430 movement makes it remarkable from the point of view of the collector who is primarily interested in technical development and engineering. Introduced in 1967, the 430 was the ultimate destination of a journey that had been undertaken by the top end of the Swiss watch industry since before World War II and is, without doubt, one of the most advanced and beautiful mechanical movements ever made, by any maker. It was realised in the late 1930s that, all else being equal, the faster the oscillation rate of a movement’s balance wheel, the more accurate it would be. So began what many horological historians now term “la guerre de les frequencies”, with each of the important Swiss houses desperately trying to outdo the others by offering faster and faster beat rates in their movements.

This movement, calibre 430, is so significant because it was the first commercially available mechanism to be offered to the public with a lightning fast 36000 half beats per hour running speed. When it was new, it could genuinely live up to the claims made in Longines’ publicity material that it was “the most accurate wristwatch movement on earth”.To put this into meaningful context, most of the pre-war vintage watches on this site have movements that run at 18000 hbph. In the 1950s, the finest makers began to offer running speeds of 19200 and 21600, but it was with this unit that a new standard was set that still remains as the high water mark today.

The 430 is a technical marvel. Not only designing a movement that could run at this breakneck speed, but also one that didn’t sacrifice anything in terms of stability or reliability to achieve this lightning fast pace, took incredible talent on the part of Longines’ engineering team. If we were advising a customer as to which vintage models were pivotal landmarks in the evolution of the wristwatch over the last century, than a 430 equipped Longines would be among them. By upping the running speed to such a blistering rate, Longines could offer a watch to the general public, albeit an expensive one that was out of the reach of many buyers, that produced accuracy results that had previously only been attained by specially regulated movements that had been painstakingly tuned for entry into the chronometer competitions held annually by the Swiss Observatories.

We always tend to think of the 430 as the mechanical movement equivalent of a Formula 1 racing car. Everything in these units was adjusted and squeezed to give the last ounce of accuracy in the way that the car has been tweaked and adjusted for maximum speed on the track. Early attempts at fast beat movements ended prematurely because the required oil was literally thrown from their sprinting balance wheels. Running speeds of 36000 hbph were only possible because of advances in the field of lubricating oil in the second half of the 1960s. It is essential even today that watches like the one here are serviced on a regular basis. To return to our motor car analogy, the consequences probably won’t be too disastrous if the family saloon car is taken for servicing a little late, but the highly tuned V12 engine in an Italian exotic sports model must receive its attention as planned in order to continue operating at its full potential. The movement in this watch is among the best preserved 430s that we have owned, but in order to remain in this state, it must not be neglected or starved of lubrication. Much to its credit, Longines has a department devoted to the servicing of its historic watches and if this item is returned to St Imier every three or four years for nothing more than a routine clean and oiling, it will last almost forever.

“Longines” is stated on the rotor, with “Longines Watch Co, Swiss, Seventeen 17 Jewels” on the automatic bridge. The calibre number 430 is here, together with the unique serial number 14096066. Falling between the two extremes of Longines movement manufacturing for that year of 14000000 and 14500000, this clearly identifies this unit as having been produced in 1967.

We have fitted this watch with a high quality crocodile skin strap that perfectly suits its upmarket, vintage appearance. This is not a genuine Longines strap, but is in mint condition and certainly does not need to be changed.

Interestingly, King Hussein was not the only Arab leader to commission watches from Longines. Page 287 of John Goldberger’s book “Longines Watches” is a full colour plate of a 1955 model with a custom dial created for King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia.

The thematic sale “Longines, Legendary Watches” held by Antiquorum in the Grand Hotel du Milan on the 28th November 1994 included a very similar watch to the one here, but without the King of Jordan dial, as Lot 185. This was stated as being from 1970, three years later than the example here.

When offered in their standard form, the Longines models that featured the fast beat calibre 430 movement came under the umbrella term “Ultra-Chron”, which was clearly a nod to their remarkable accuracy. A good, tidy Ultra-Chron, in either a stainless steel or gold plated case, is not an easy watch to find in worthwhile condition today and will command a price of perhaps £800 to £1000 GB pounds. This very limited edition version for the King of Jordan is clearly a much rarer animal still and will appeal to those who are at the point of filling gaps in already extensive collections of vintage Longines watches. We haven’t seen another for sale for some years and gauging the worth of this piece isn’t easy, but at our asking price of £825 GB pounds, which reflects the very slight deterioration to the dial, it represents remarkably good value for money. This is unquestionably a piece of vintage Longines exotica which would not look in the least bit out of place in the company’s factory museum and it seems impossible to imagine a situation that could ever cause it to reduce in worth in the future.