Longines Caliber 22A Watch Movement

Brand	Longines
Caliber Number	22 A, 22A
Base Caliber	22 L, 22L
In-House?	Yes
Movement Type	Automatic, self-winding mechanical
Lignes	13”’
Diameter	28.8mm
Height	5.5mm
Jewel Count	17 or 18
Beat Rate	18,000 bph
Lift Angle	46 degrees
Power Reserve	36 hours
Rotor Winding Direction	Bi-directional
Hand-Windable?	Yes
Anti-Shock Device	Yes, unknown type
Balance Wheel	Weighted screw style
Regulator?	Yes
Hand Count	3 (or 2)
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; small seconds (some 22A watches are without small seconds)
Hacking Seconds?	Yes
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	(Add your watch to the comments below…)

Longines caliber 22A is a vintage watch movement with a small seconds subdial at 6:00. This Swiss made calibre could be found with 17 or 18 jewels, as well as with or without the seconds hand.

The cal. 22A was found in watches from the 1950s and is considered to be the brand’s first automatic in-house movement.

Caliber Number:

Longines official documentation referred to this caliber as “22 A”, however, on their current website, Longines refers to it as 22A. Both seem to be acceptable, so keep that in mind when searching for watches or additional information.

Interestingly, the same page linked above also mentions that the 22A is 21.5mm in diameter, but the official tech sheets list it as 28.8mm (13”’). They appear to have confused it with the 22L which is the manual-wind base caliber with a diameter of 21.5mm (9.75”’).

Similar Caliber:

There is a similar caliber 22 AS (22AS) with a central sweeping seconds hand. Most of the parts are interchangeable, but not all. Also, the 22AS can have 17 or 19 jewels.

Additional Resources: