Don't miss the next drop
By the mid 1960s, Longines was at the very top of its game in mid grade dress watch production. The brand’s Saint Imier factory had just transitioned its entire manual wind line to the new caliber 370 family, introduced in 1960 to replace the legendary 23ZS, and the Reference 2546 is one of the cleanest, most quietly handsome expressions of that era. There are no extraneous flourishes here, no unnecessary text, no complications beyond the small seconds. Just an exceptionally well executed three handed dress watch from one of the most respected names in Swiss watchmaking, which to us is exactly what we look for.
The case is stainless steel and beautifully proportioned, with slightly faceted lugs that flow elegantly into the case middle and a smooth, gently domed caseback that bears one of our favorite period markings. Stamped around the perimeter is “USE ALL PROOF 1200 WRENCH,” along with the All Proof star logo and “STAINLESS STEEL” designation. All Proof was the Swiss case maker that supplied many of Longines’s water resistant cases through the 1950s and 1960s, and their proprietary threaded back system required a specific wrench to open. That single line of text on the caseback is a small piece of mid century Swiss watchmaking history, and it is a feature that vintage Longines collectors specifically look for.
Inside ticks the manual wind caliber 370, a 17 jewel rectangular movement that powered a huge swath of Longines’s 1960s production. While Longines marketed it as a mid range movement, the 370 is built with chatons for the jewel settings, a finishing touch usually reserved for higher grade calibres, and its construction and finishing are well above what you would find from competitors at the same price point. Running at 18,000 vibrations per hour with a sub seconds train, the 370 is reliable, easily serviceable, and beautifully made. It is the kind of mechanical heartbeat that vintage Longines is famous for.
The dial is original and presents wonderfully. A silver sunburst finish radiates outward from the central pinion, catching the light in long, soft rays that shift dramatically as the wrist moves. Applied chrome baton indices mark the hours, with applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, and 9, and a recessed sub seconds register at six o’clock featuring a fine crosshair pattern and tiny baton minute markers. The Longines wordmark and the winged hourglass logo are printed crisply at twelve. Around the outer edge of the dial, between each hour position, sits a small tritium lume dot, and these dots have aged into the most beautiful warm orange cream tone over the past sixty years, perfectly matching the central luminous stripes on the elongated dauphine hands. A tall domed acrylic crystal sits proud above the dial, magnifying the sunburst pattern and lending the watch the kind of soft, period correct focus that no modern sapphire could ever replicate.
We have paired the Reference 2546 with our taupe pebble grain leather strap, finished with white contrast stitching and a vibrant orange lining. The cool grey neutrality of the taupe sits beautifully against the silver dial and steel case, and the orange lining adds a subtle pop of personality every time the watch is taken on or off. To us, this is the platonic ideal of a mid 1960s Longines time only dress watch. Quietly confident, beautifully made, mechanically interesting, and thoroughly wearable on a modern wrist.
