# Longines Tuning Fork Clock



## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Every now and again you can still get a bargain on ebay.

This came up in a search last week and no one else bid...










It was wrongly described as a quartz clock, but the seller had the right calibre number, so it came up in a saved search.

I wasn't exactly taken by it, but I put in a bid at the starting price and won. It arrived today and after changing the battery it came to life. So far it's keeping good time, but needs a service as the second hand spins when setting the time and the second hand is bent, so it needs straightening.

To fit the battery, you have to remove the outer bezel, the inner bezel and release two screws holding the dial (seven screws in total). While I was putting all that back together, I noticed some odd text on the outer bezel and a 'B & Co' logo. Looking more closely, it looked like a hallmark, so I did some googling and found a description on Millers Antiques of another example of this clock that says the outer bezel is 9 carrot gold. Millers link. I think the 'B & Co' stands for Baume & Company.

I'm quite pleased with this.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Nice one Andy...so what movement is in? Is it a 6312?


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks Paul

Yes, 6312. Still has the ID plate on the oscillator module too, so I reckon it's the original movement.


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## webvan (Apr 6, 2010)

What a find, well done! It reminds me of some "wood based" offerings by Bulova, a bit of an acquired taste I suppose but I'll be on the lookout for one now ;-)


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## PDXWatchCollector (Nov 15, 2013)

Very interesting - thanks for sharing! You see a lot of Accutron clocks, but not many featuring the ESA movement.

And interesting that Baume was involved in a co-branded tuning fork project with Longines ... I own a co-branded Bucherer/Baume tuning fork watch, which makes some sense since Bucherer didn't ever have tuning fork watches in their own lineup, but as Longines had a very healthy tuning fork lineup of their own, it makes you wonder why this particular project was done in conjunction with Baume ...


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Just realised how I spelt carat last night. Too much wine on a school night... :biggrin:


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

> Very interesting - thanks for sharing! You see a lot of Accutron clocks, but not many featuring the ESA movement.
> 
> And interesting that Baume was involved in a co-branded tuning fork project with Longines ... I own a co-branded Bucherer/Baume tuning fork watch, which makes some sense since Bucherer didn't ever have tuning fork watches in their own lineup, but as Longines had a very healthy tuning fork lineup of their own, it makes you wonder why this particular project was done in conjunction with Baume ...


Thanks. I've got an Accutron aircraft clock, but I've been on the lookout for a clock based on the ESA movement clock since we had a thread about tuning fork clocks a while back. Omega made a few that I think were very cool.



> What a find, well done! It reminds me of some "wood based" offerings by Bulova, a bit of an acquired taste I suppose but I'll be on the lookout for one now ;-)


Yes, it's is a bit of an acquired taste. I wouldn't have gone for it if it had been expensive, but I've come to like it since seeing it in the flesh. It's very 70s like most of my watches, and the streaked wood veneer (the Millers link says it's coromandel wood) and gold work together well.


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

> And interesting that Baume was involved in a co-branded tuning fork project with Longines ... I own a co-branded Bucherer/Baume tuning fork watch, which makes some sense since Bucherer didn't ever have tuning fork watches in their own lineup, but as Longines had a very healthy tuning fork lineup of their own, it makes you wonder why this particular project was done in conjunction with Baume ...


I'm not sure it's the same Baume? I think Baume et Mercier co-branded with Bucherer.

An earlier thread here says that Baume & Co were the UK importer for Longines. I think they just made the bezel for this as they made cases for Longines too... <<Post by aroma in 2013>>


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## webvan (Apr 6, 2010)

If you get a chance pictures of the how the movement is fit in there would be great.

You mention Omega Tuning Fork clocks, I don't remember these ? Got a link ?


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

This was the thread that I meant, although it doesn't have pictures of Omega's clocks... <Tuning fork clock thread>

My mind might have been playing tricks though. I've seen electronic clocks in the scanned old catalogs on 'Old Omegas' (linked below). Looking at the descriptions, none of them actually say tuning fork. Just electronic. I know Omega made an Electroquartz clock, but it doesn't look like these, so I don't know what type of movements they might have had. Can anyone translate this link? http://watchesz.free.fr/rocketline.htm ...

There is definitely one famous Omega tuning fork clock though, but it was a bit special - a one off statue made by Salvadore Dali (La prémonition des tiroirs... Omega Museum ... <and> 

<Edit, I thought that clock was an f300, but the above description says it was a Calibre 1220 (Megasonic?) Still a tuning fork (?) but not what I'd thought>

These are the clocks that I saw on Old Omegas, that I thought were tuning fork, but now I'm not so sure?...






























> If you get a chance pictures of the how the movement is fit in there would be great.


I'll try and get a picture up tonight. We've got kitchen fitters in today, so the place is in a little disarray. (Like my typing - sorry for all the edits.)

The dial appears to be solid wood and it's hollowed out to hold the movement in behind.


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## webvan (Apr 6, 2010)

Looking forward to that!

Thanks for the links, I'd forgotten the Dali clock had a 1220 inside, I saw it in Bienne a couple of times, in my defense I suppose it wasn't running though ;-)

The other clocks use Caliber 095 (not Omega in-house), a mechanical movement wound every 20 minutes or so courtesy of a 9v battery. I chanced into a "rocket" version a couple of years ago and after getting it serviced it's been running well. I actually restarted it with a new battery a couple of days ago.

Here it is sitting next to a 4.19Mhz Jaeger Clock with a similar shape.


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## vinn (Jun 14, 2015)

sorry, i was kicked off line while writing about the salvadore doly bronze with an accutron (omega) clock. did he not invent the wilted watch? ill be looking for one of those bronzes.


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## PDXWatchCollector (Nov 15, 2013)

> > And interesting that Baume was involved in a co-branded tuning fork project with Longines ... I own a co-branded Bucherer/Baume tuning fork watch, which makes some sense since Bucherer didn't ever have tuning fork watches in their own lineup, but as Longines had a very healthy tuning fork lineup of their own, it makes you wonder why this particular project was done in conjunction with Baume ...
> 
> 
> I'm not sure it's the same Baume? I think Baume et Mercier co-branded with Bucherer.
> ...


Yup, you're correct that the Bucherer co-brand was B&M ... I forgot that there was a Baume distributor (I think there was a thread about them in the vintage watch section last month.)

And that green cased Omega clock in the last catalog shot ... whether tuning fork or not, what a gorgeous timepiece! Looks very in line with their 'Dynamic' line of watches from the same period. :thumbsup:


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

> Looking forward to that!
> 
> Thanks for the links, I'd forgotten the Dali clock had a 1220 inside, I saw it in Bienne a couple of times, in my defense I suppose it wasn't running though ;-)
> 
> ...


Very, very nice. I really like those cases.

I bought a dial for an Accutron cockpit clock a while before I found a complete one. I had a plan to get a case milled like that Jaeger, but out of brushed stainless, and fit it with a Jeco tuning fork movement. I still have that dial and a couple of movements. Your picture makes me wonder how much it would cost to complete that plan.



> sorry, i was kicked off line while writing about the salvadore doly bronze with an accutron (omega) clock. did he not invent the wilted watch? ill be looking for one of those bronzes.


Now that would be something to write about it it turned up find on ebay :biggrin:



> And that green cased Omega clock in the last catalog shot ... whether tuning fork or not, what a gorgeous timepiece! Looks very in line with their 'Dynamic' line of watches from the same period. :thumbsup:


I agree. The laquer finish is nice too, although I think I'd go for the red.

And this is how the movement is mounted. I was wrong about the dial, it's brass too with a wood veneer...










And the case it fits in...










It's a small clock (about 2.5 inches high), but seriously heavy. Could do some damage with that case.


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## webvan (Apr 6, 2010)

Thanks for the pics, looks solid indeed !


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