THE 1941 LONGINES TRE TACCHE
Whether it be ’60s Mustangs, Stratocasters, or old cameras, something somewhere down the line sparked my love for vintage watches. I love history and am enamored with the idea of owning something that was purpose-built and cherished by someone else in another life. For years now, I’ve been struck by vintage Longines military watches, which are quintessentially purpose-built.
From its inception all the way up through its modern line, Longines is a brand that has always done things dead right. They have stuck with their roots and offered their pedigreed watches for (subjectively) reasonable prices compared to their fellow long-tenured competitors. They are also very in tune with their customers, offering quite a few free services. For example, go order yourself a free product catalog (here) and see what I’m talking about.
Three-notch screw-in case back.
The Longines “Tre Tacche” field watch I am discussing today has an interesting story. “Tre Tacche” is an Italian-rooted nick name given to watches like this, describing the watch’s “three-notch” screw-in case back prior to Longines officially naming any of their watches (1). The “Tre Tacche” was prevalent as a military timepiece for soldiers fighting on both sides of the front-line. This particular example is was first sold from Longines headquarters in Switzerland on August 8th, 1941, to their United States branch, later known as Longines-Wittnauer when Longines acquired Wittnauer in 1950.
The rather interesting thing to note is that its manually wound 10L caliber and sharp white dial (with applied “Breguet” style numerals) were the only pieces of this watch that were manufactured in Switzerland. The remainder of the watch was made in the United States of America under license by Longines.
To provide a bit of context, a HUGE amount of American manufacturing across the board shifted its focus to the WWII effort around this time(2). Many credit the United States’ victory in WWII to the expansive manufacturing focus during the war. Wittnauer, who was previously a stand-alone American watch company had been supplying its timekeeping products to the USA military since WWI. According to the National WWII Museum, the United States alone produced more tanks and aircrafts for WWII than Germany and the Soviet Union combined (3).
The classic and gorgeous stepped case, measuring in at 30mm, is an icon of Longines history. This example comes fresh off of a full service and is running impeccably.
Stepped case of the Longines Tre Tacche
Sources:
(1) Wind, E. (2014, December 14). Shopping At Cool Vintage Watches In Parkville, Missouri. Retrieved September 2, 2015, from https://www.hodinkee.com/blog/whats-selling-where-shopping-at-cool-vintage-watches-in-parkville-Missouri
(2) The History of Wittnauer. (2009, December 21). Retrieved September 2, 2015, from http://www.sonartist.com/the-history-of-wittnauer/
(3) By the Numbers: Wartime Production. (n.d.). Retrieved September 2, 2015, from http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/ww2-by-the-numbers/wartime-production.html