Longines Weems
Longines Weems
Navigation watch by Longines
The origin model
1927, the same year when Charles Lindbergh completed his famous transatlantic flight, Philip van Horn Weems, an American commander and teacher of navigation, developed the system of a new navigation watch. It allows a second-precise synchronization of the watch with the radio time signal, and without straightening the clock hands. A special bezel or a central sub-dial serves this purpose. Both are rotatably mounted and provided with a scale of 60 seconds. The watch was produced by Longines under the name "Weems Navigation Watch".
The idea of Weems was later taken over by Charles A. Lindbergh, who, incidentally, was a pupil of Weems, and provided as additional element for installation in his hour angle watch.
The Weems patent was awarded first place in 1935. But since that year Longines provided some of their watches with central seconds with a orientation system based on a rotating scale.
The Longines Weems Second-Setting Watch
As a tribute to this invention in 2007 Longines, exactly eighty years after the publication of the original model, brings the "Longines Weems Second-Setting Watch" on the market. It is equipped with a mechanical self-winding movement; its power reserve is 46 hours. The round stainless steel case has a diameter of 47.50 mm. It is provided with an engraved and numbered case cover. It protects a sapphire crystal caseback, through which the current movement can be admired.
The opal, silvered central sub-dial allows precise synchronization of the seconds hand with the radio time signal. To the watch belongs a brown alligator leather strap with "Charleston" clasp and extension.