Longines Caliber 30CH with Doctor’s Dial

The History

In the vintage world, Longines is a chronograph company— the brand manufactured some of the best chronograph examples in the world both early and often. Longines created its first chronograph in a pocket watch application all the way back in 1878 and, just under 20 years later, served as the official timer of the 1896 Olympics in Athens. The brand created the first wristwatch chronograph in 1913 with its Caliber 13.33z and continued to narrowly focus on this segment of the market for the next 50 years.

Following that first wristwatch chronograph caliber, in 1936 Longines introduced one of, if not the most collected and revered chronograph movements ever produced. The Caliber 13ZN holds the distinction as the first wristwatch chronograph with a flyback function and is enamored by collectors. Particularly pointing to waterproof “tre-tacche” and “sei-tacche” examples, this era of Longines chronographs is truly second to none. PH Zhou’s Hodinkee article on the subject is well worth the read and highlights just how special these chronographs are in more vivid detail.

The Reference

In 1947, Longines replaced the Cal. 13ZN with the Cal. 30CH found inside this reference 7414 for sale. The 30CH is no slouch, as to be expected from Longines in this period, with some collectors and experts putting it right up there next to the 13ZN in beauty, reliability, and pure design. Our reference and example is equipped with flyback functionality meaning the reset pusher can function while the chronograph is still running.

The example here is further differentiated thanks to its Doctor’s dial. Pulsations tracks are a bit more common within the vintage chronograph space but this Longines boasts dual tracks for calculating both heart rate and respiratory rate. All the wearer has to do is find a patient’s heart rate, start the chronograph, count 30 heartbeats, and stop the chronograph to see the calculated heartbeats per minute on the first scale. If calculating respiratory rate, the same process would apply but you would look to the outer scale and count five breaths.

Beyond the dial, the ref. 7414 has an 18k rose gold case measuring 36mm and wearing extremely elegantly on the wrist.

The Case

This Longines’s 18k rose gold case is in great but not excellent condition with a light polish evident in its past especially on the lugs. The ever so slight lug bevel seen on truly unpolished and new old stock examples has been lost but this case shows very well nonetheless. There is a bit of tarnish seen on the bezel between 4 and 7 o’clock. The 18k stamp is still seen on the rear of the 5 o’clock lug.

The crystal is in excellent condition with no significant scratches noted. For the caseback, there are no deep scratches or marks from removing. The pushers appear to be original and show no discoloration but the crown shows some finish loss, it appears to be a replacement as other examples show signed smaller crowns.

The Dial and Hands

The ‘silver’ dial with a sunburst finish is in great condition showing no major flaws, spots, or scratches but the rose gold hour markers show some tarnishing. The printing is consistent with other examples, it is believed to be correct and original. “SWISS MADE” is printed at 6 o’clock matching the lack of lume on the dial and hands.

The handset is correct for the reference and believed to be original to the watch. Of note on these 30CH Longines chronographs is the different subdial hands, the running seconds is straight whereas the chronograph minutes hand is a leaf style.

The Movement

This example’s Caliber 30CH is in good running order, keeping accurate time and all chronograph functions work as they should. Service history is unknown.

PHOTO GALLERY