Here we have a beautiful antique circa 1913 Longines Borgel silver case trench watch. It has the solid case back with the coin edge screw front. The case is well proportioned measuring 36mm wide without crown. To the right is the large original onion style crown with the pin-set below. It also has the Longines patent flexible silver wire lugs. The dial is a bright white enamel with classic railroad minute track and bold roman numerals. It has the clear red 12 with the inset sub-second dial at 6 o’clock. The hands are thermally blued, of spade & whip style. The inside of the case is marked with UK import hallmarking by London assay office with the date letter for 1913. It has the ‘Arthur Baume’ mark and ‘Francois Borgel’ initials.

The movement is a stunning calibre 13.56 which is manual wind. It has a high jewel count of 18 with screwed chatons surrounding the jewels. It has been recently serviced and is keeping accurate time.

The watch is accompanied by a Longines extract from the archives which dates the watch to March 1913.

The enamel dial is the bright white tone and is free of any cracks or chips. It has the classic black railroad track to the exterior with the thicker black batons for the 5-minute graduations and diamond markers to the quarters. The hour markers are bold Roman Numerals with the red 12 which stands out nicely. At 6 o’clock is the inset sub-second dial which has the railroad track. The sub-second hand is thermally blued with the lollipop counterbalance. The hour and minute hands are also thermally blued, of spade and whip style.

The case measures 36mm x 36mm which makes this a well-sized watch. The crown adds significant presence with its size, taking the total width to 42mm. The lugs also add further presence, extending from the case and taking the total length to 46.5mm. With a depth of 12mm, this is a neat watch sitting nicely on the wrist. The fixed bar lugs have a 11mm strap width.

It is a patented Borgel screw case which was innovative, providing protection against dust and moisture. The case is formed of a solid section with the Longines patent flexible lugs. The movement fits within a threaded carrier ring with the bezel and glass fitting over the top. This is then screwed into the case, creating a seal. The crown and stem require removal for the case to screw and un-screw. This is achieved by pulling the crown out and holding it, whilst turning the bezel. The hands are pin set, by depressing the button below the crown. The solid back is free of engraving.

Inside the case is marked with British import hallmarking from London assay office. The date letter ‘r’ corresponds with the 1913 manufacture. It is marked with the ‘AB’ sponsor mark of Arthur Baume, the UK importer of Longines at the time. It also has the ‘F.B.’ logo for Francious Borgel. It has the serial number 2,713,357 which corresponds with the extract information.

The movement is a beautiful and high grade Longines cal 13.56. It has a high jewel count of 18 and has the classic gilt finishing, and thermally blued screws. The top jewel bearings for the centre, third and fourth wheel are set in gold chatons which are held in place by screws. It also has end stones for the escape wheel, another sign of a superior movement.

The movement was serviced a couple of years ago by ourselves and is keeping very accurate time to within 20 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 350 degrees and a beat error of 0.4m/s.

The watch is modelled on a 7” wrist circumference.
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 original. It is in good condition with only some slight hairline fractures and no chips or cracks.

Hands:
The hands have been replaced as the original were badly corroded. They have been replaced with the same spade and whip style hands with are thermally blued.

Glass:
The acrylic crystal is a modern replacement in perfect condition.

Crown:
The crown is an original Borgel crown which winds the watch as it should and pulls out to unscrew the movement.

Case:
It is a Borgel style case which functions as it should, with no signs of major wear to the thread where the movement carrier screws in. The bezel is in decent antique condition with the coin edge finish having some light wear. There is a small dent to the side of the case above the crown. The hinged lugs are good and strong. The top lug appears to have had some repair work as expected with age. It has an indentation from wear on a single piece or bund strap throughout its life.

Strap:
The watch comes on a new genuine leather strap which is in good condition.

Movement:
The movement is a Longines cal 13.56 which is manual wind. It was serviced a couple of years ago by ourselves and is keeping very accurate time to within 20 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 350 degrees and a beat error of 0.4m/s.

Case dimensions
Case width: 36mm
Case width with crown: 42mm
Case length: 36.25mm
Case length lug to lug: 46.5mm
Case depth: 12mm
Lug width: 11mm