35mm 1960 Longines Conquest Reference 9026-3 Calibre 291 with 24 jewels Serial number: 11,428,433
The 35mm case is gold plated on the top, but no expense was spared in the manufacturing of the Conquest, which got the most advanced automatic caliber 291, with 24 jewels and date function, and also featured the lavish fish caseback.
The applied indexes bring a lot of balance to the two-tone dial, which shows an attractive mirrored ring adjacent to the minute track. The date placement at 12 o'clock of the reference 9026 might be unusual, but it really manages to preserve the right balance of the design, making it more of the more desirable watches in the range. The tower shape of the hands is also a beautiful feature from the vintage Conquest Automatic. Combine this with the grained finish on the dial and you have a watch that really stands out from the crowd.
The green enamel painting on the back indicates a stainless steel or gold-plated case, while the cases in solid gold get a blue painting of the sea. This small detail shows the attention brought to the Conquest line, one of the most exclusive from Longines at the time.
After handling such a beautiful watch, it comes as no surprise that the Conquest has had multiple re-issues, with Longines recently bringing back the vintage design of the Conquest Calendar.
The dial is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. It is original and is in very good condition with silver/champagne grained finish. The dial has applied gilt tone batons hour markers with have an excellent texture and are three dimensional. There is a beautiful silver chapter ring inside of the minute tracks. The grained finish is particularly visible in the centre and adds texture. There are 4 rectangular Radium painted markers, at 12, 3, 6 and 9. These maintain the original radium paint which has aged to a deep orange Pumpkin tone.
The dial is signed Longines at 12 o'clock, below the date window. The Longines logo is gilt applied to the dial, and is three dimensional. The date window is set at 12 o'clock with a gilt applied boarder, with white date window and black Ararbic numerals.
The beautiful hands are original, with no corrosion or bending.
The acrylic crystal is original, in average condition. There is a slight crack from the top of the date window to the edge of the crystal. The crown is a replacement. Sadly the original, desirable scalloped crown is very rare and often replaced.
The case measures 35mm x 35mm and is Gold plated Stainless steel, with polished finish and faceted edges to the lugs.
The case back is Stainless steel with a a circular grained finish, with the quality seal of the green fish associated with the stainless or gold plated models.
The watch is on a new, genuine Crocodile leather strap, in beautiful midnight blue.
The movement is a Longines calibre 291 which is an automatic movement with 24 jewels. It was introduced in 1958, with this particular example being from 1960. The movement has an unknown service history and has not been serviced by ourselves. The movement is keeping time to -40 seconds a day with an amplitude of 300 and a beat error of 1.0m/s.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Dial:
The dial is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. It is original and is in very good condition with silver/champagne grained finish. The dial has applied gilt tone batons hour markers with have an excellent texture and are three dimensional. There is a beautiful silver chapter ring inside of the minute tracks. The grained finish is particularly visible in the centre and adds texture. There are 4 rectangular Radium painted markers, at 12, 3, 6 and 9. These maintain the original radium paint which has aged to a deep orange Pumpkin tone. The dial is signed Longines at 12 o'clock, below the date window. The Longines logo is gilt applied to the dial, and is three dimensional. The date window is set at 12 o'clock with a gilt applied boarder, with white date window and black Ararbic numerals.
Hands:
The hands are original and in good condition, with no corrosion or bending. The Radium lume paint is no longer present on the hands.
Glass:
The original acrylic crystal, in good-average condition. There is a slight crack from the top of the date window to the edge of the crystal. Some very minor marking as expected with age, but it doesn't detract from the dial.
Crown:
This is a replacement crown. Sadly the original, desirable scalloped crown is very rare and often replaced. The crown is gold coloured Stainless Steel and is in good condition. It has a clean coin edge.
Bezel:
In good, original condition. Light surface scratching as associated with age.
Case:
The case is Gold plated Stainless steel, with polished finish and faceted edges to the lugs. It has not been polished. It has a slightly polished effect from age and wear. There is some very slight wear to the plating on the tips of the lugs. It has some light surface scratching, but there are no large scratches or nicks.
Caseback:
Stainless steel case back with a a circular grained finish. It has some light surface scratching associated with age, but no deep scratches or nicks. The central fish medallion is in good condition. It has some wear to the green finish below the fish head. Overall it is in good condition.
Strap:
A new, genuine Crocodile leather strap, in beautiful midnight blue.
Movement:
This is a Longines calibre 291 which is an automatic movement with 24 jewels. It was introduced in 1958, with this particular example being from 1960. The movement has an unknown service history and has not been serviced by ourselves. The movement is keeping time to -40 seconds a day with an amplitude of 300 and a beat error of 1.0m/s.
Case dimensions
Case width: 35mm
Case width with crown: 37.5mm
Case length: 35mm
Case Depth: 11.5mm
Case length lug to lug: 43mm
Lug width: 18mm