Longines Caliber 9L

Manufacturer	Longines
Caliber Number	9L
Movement Type	Mechanical, manual-wind
In-House?	Yes
Diameter	26mm x 17.8mm
Height	~3.5mm
Jewel Count	17
Beat Rate	18,000 bph
Lift Angle	Unconfirmed
Power Reserve	38 hours (unconfirmed)
Hairspring	Breguet
Regulator?	Yes
Hand Count	3
Functions	Central hours; central minutes; small running seconds at 6:00
Hacking Seconds?	No
Finishing	Gold filled chatons around the jewels, polished ratchet wheel teeth, polished chamfered edges
Country of Manufacture	Switzerland, Swiss made
Known Models	Vintage Longines 14K Gold Art Deco Timepiece (Add your watch to the comments below…)

Longines caliber 9L is a vintage rectangular handwound watch movement with 17 jewels. This in-house Swiss made movement was produced circa 1930s~1940s by Longines Watch Co.

Movement Text:

Boxed “9L” / Longines Watch Co. / Swiss / Seventeen 17 Jewels / Unadjusted / LXW / Serial Number

“LXW” is the import code.

The watch pictured was found in a solid 14K gold Art-Deco watch case with a caseback signed:

Longines – Wittnauer Watch Co. Inc. / New York / Geneva / Montreal / 14K Gold

Longines – Wittnauer Watch Co. Inc. was the agent/distributor for Longines imports at the time.

9L vs 25.17:

The Longines cal. 9L is similar to another vintage Longines movement called the calibre 25.17. It appears that the 9L designation was used for watches intended for the USA or North American market, along with the other markings necessary for import. If you have more insight into the differences between the two, please share below.

Additional Resources:

• More Longines watch movements