Property of the Military - a 1937 Longines Majetek
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2023
- Today we have a really cool old watch on the bench: a 1937 Longines Majetek with the 15.94 movement inside. These watches were produced in limited numbers for the Czech air force in the years before the second world war and are now collectors items. The owner, Jan, is such a collector and he sent us the watch for a service.
Join Stian for a full service of this beautiful old watch including a somewhat unusual repair of the small seconds hand! As always we take a few detours, into topics like the perils of being a vampire and how fast one can consume a 2 milliliter bottle of liquid!
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Awesome watch, awesome service, awesome video.
Regarding the simple case of the Majetek, it was actually super groundbreaking at the time it was designed, using multiple simple stampings that were then assembled to form the case and brazed together (you can see evidence of this construction method on the bottom sides of the lugs in the video), rather than the traditional machine turned case construction that was otherwise used then, and mostly, still is.
Thanks for this close look at a super cool watch, one of my favorites!
Thanks for watching and for the information!
To prevent overpressure in the watch while flying. The glass would pop off I guess without them.
Correct!
That would be my suggestion too and it infers that this was deigned for an open cockpit or unpressurised fuselage flying.
doesnt pressure drop when you go upo in altitude @@larrybarth6052
Well said
so the watch is zero water resistant when it has this holes in the case am i right ?! greetings from germany...
When I was a child (I'm 64), if you owned a Longines watch you were considered wealthy!!
Sweet piece of history. Holes are for pressure release
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@@VintageWatchServices While the overpressure protection sounds logical, remember that this watch was not water, pressure or weather-proof i.e. sealed in any way, so the overpressure on descending or pressure reduction on climbing would not affect it much-the pressure would reduce/increase as fast as in unpressurized cabin.
It is my opinion those holes are against much worse watch enemy-the moisture that occurs when air temperature and pressure is reduced (climbing), as humidity always "escapes" the air. It would cause at least foggy crystal inside, as it often does cause foggy if not even "wet" windows in unpressurized cockpits.
Whoa! Big surprise on the left-hand thread on the clutch lever! Nice save!
Quite surprising indeed but caution wins the day 😁
That beautiful little polished plate looks like an outline of the state of Texas!
Imo longines today doesn't get the love it should with a lot of other watch shows on UA-cam, so thanks showing this beautiful little longines. .
Wow, one of my favorite watches so far! Love pilot watches for their simplicity and functionality. Pressure relief holes and all!
it's Gawjuss innit... I want one...NOW!! 😊
So... a Swiss watchmaker from Norway doing his best British actor doing a Romanian vampire whilst overhauling a Czech watch originally made in Switzerland. Way to bring it full circle.
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love it, you are gentle And calm, Watchmaking student here! Not that calm! Working on it 😊
The Watch brands I remember when growing up in the 1960s are Longines, which my Dad admired, Bulova, and Orfina, which my Dad wore and I now have his watch. In High School I had a Timex Quartz. This was right in the middle of the Quartz “Crisis.”
Definitely a beautiful movement, if not overly decorated. In terms of vintage brands, Longines are certainly up there for me. I'm similarly confident they're finding their mojo now.
That's Czech Majetek. Cool watch I enjoyed this video.
photography skills are beautiful
Thank you very much!
Damn fine watch. Classy, robust movement. Really shows its quality nearly ninety years after production.
Longines; a real favourite of mine.
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That's very historical before the outbreak of WW2. Nice work & watch. I want to become a member of the channel. Love the channel.
Great to hear, go for it! 😊
Sometimes, if I know the balance cock is going to be really tight putting it back on, I'll take the jewels out of the dial side as not to chance breaking them. I worked on an Omega that was so tight, when I removed the balance assembly, the feet on the balance cock actually came off and were still in the plate! I needed to get them out, then super-glue them back in place before putting the balance assembly back in. Such fun.
Longines were the bee’s knees before the quartz crisis.
Interesting thing about this watch is that it was part of a series of "Majetek" watches commissioned by the Czech military. Eterna also have a Majetek. So did Lemania. Longine was the only one with the coin edge bezel but all have the similar Panerai style case. The 15.94 was primarily used by the Czech Air Force, hence this watch, but also in Poland I think. The only thing i can think of with the 15.94 is it is called a hunter model which i presume is for the type of case that it might have fit although i really have no idea.
I serviced a 12z with a broken escapement staff ends 🤪now my favorite old winder
The holes are for equalizing the pressure between the inside of the watch and the outside air to keep the crystal from popping off.
To equalize pressure in the watch during rapid ascent and decent. I also heard that these watches were extremely robust in maneuvering situations.
It has dropped to the 90s here in Texas and we are claiming that is relief here from the heat :D
Well, to be fair, Texas is at about the same latitude as North Africa, so it's only natural that it's hot there 😉
I am from Spain (southern Spain) and the heat wave means that we have temperatures of 45 degrees, and we have 30 degrees mainly in spring, when you can come and see my land, you will fall in love. Great job with the watch, I love your videos.
My favorite vintage watch brand? Hmmm. I'll stick to the category of service watches. Ollech & Wajs, I think. Hanhart after that, maybe Laco? There are so many, but for me, Ollech & Wajs. Nice. Thanks for this episode. Makes me appreciate Longines again.
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I own the Majetek from 1947. These Version have the later Version of an big longine movement! These Watches are a fantastic timepice!
Your knowledge and willingness to share is much appreciated.
I appreciate that :)
Great video. If I am not mistaken, Longines reintroduced this same model about 7 years before. I saw similar watches in Longines boutiques in India.
I'm mostly into Omega when it comes to vintage watches, but Longines and UG are of course very interesting! I also have a couple of cheaper but very cool vintage watches, like Lanco and more.
Oméga 30 T2
I would not mind having a 30 T2! I do have a slightly younger one, from 1952. CK 2639-13 and a couple of Seamasters. @@denisblasius3946
Beautiful vintage watch Stian. I love my vintage Rodania chronograph. Never had blood pudding but had plenty of black pudding. And no reports of trouble in paradise. Keep well from New Zealand 🇳🇿
I immediately guessed that these holes could be for equalizing pressure at height for greater accuracy)
Detailed and great photographed video, very, very interesting. So I have got several Longines from the 30s up to the 50s with different movements and these are very durable and working great after a good service at my watchmaker in the Netherlands. And yes, they are very good looking also. So Longines is my favourite brand from that period, they had a great history and were on the top during the 30s/40s. And now let's check another of your great videos.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Christopher Lee's got nothing on you Stian. Great to see you working on one of these solid old movements. Thanks, Howard
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Witam wszystkich serdecznie życzę miłego dnia Tobie oraz wszystkim którzy kochają zegarki Stary Baca Dzięki za to że Jesteś zdrowia życzę I pięknych chwil dla których warto żyć Dobrego dnia życzy Stary Baca
I think its neat when each wheel has its own bridge. What a beautiful pice of history.
The holes are for altitude compensation.
This looks like 👍 the wrist version of a Westclox Scotty pocket watch, by the black dial, luminescent numbers, and the sweep 🧹 second hand 🤚, being in the 6 o’ clock 🕰️ position. This watch I already know is spring wound. Your friend, Jeff.
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I agree with you on the look! The "Scotty" pocket watch was sold at the little luncheonette/variety store a couple of blocks from my childhood home. I've had several, and wish that I still had them. Thanks for bringing up a good memory for me!
@@hugejohnson5011 You’re welcome 😇. I also liked those 1970’s LED watches, which the numbers would light 💡 🆙 in red, at the push of a button. I also liked Mattel’s handheld electronic baseball ⚾️, football 🏈, and basketball 🏀 games, from the 1970’s. They used the same LED lighting!! Talk about memory lane!! Again, your friend, Jeff!!
@@jeffreyhickman3871 I didn't have any of those games, but I did indeed have a plastic watch, with the dark red "screen", and the red numerals! I think that many of us of a certain age had one!
Ever since watching The walking Dead I was thinking a hand wound watch would be good to have. If you're a prepper I would think this would be important to have in your bug out bag. Your ultrasonic does sound similar to cicadas on a hot summer night. Very peaceful and easy to fall asleep to.
Yes beautiful movement for the time a lot better looking than modern seikos
I can’t believe you got zero beat error!
Awesome video again, mate!!! With all the heat, you will be set for an average summer in Australia!! 🍺
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Cavalierly replacing the tube on the subseconds hand. If I have any aspirations of becoming a great watchmaker, it will be to attain the standard that you are currently at Stian. Enjoyed the pop quiz about the pressure differentiation.
Thanks Matt 😊
Another great video. Much enjoyed. I have only two vintage watches, Dad's well-worn Lord Elgin 4809 (which stilll keeps good time) and my first watch, a Benrus 6858. I love both. My newest watch is a Longines Heritage Flagship small seconds. It is a fantastic watch.
The Heritage collection looks great indeed, very true to the original :)
@@VintageWatchServices Mine is extraordinarily accurate, too. I kept it wound for over 100 days and it was a total of 4 seconds fast. It runs +- 5 seconds a day.
The holes are for pressurization, to stop moisture build up on the inside of the glass as the pressure changes.
Glorious watch, superb work🍻
Hello Stian,
thank you for this video - those watches was in service in my country - nowadays Czech.
In 1977 we called Czechoslovakia and split into two countries 31.12.1992 - Czech and Slovakia.
Engraving on case back " MAJETEK VOJENSKÉ SPRÁVY" means: Property of Military administration and your pronunciation is quite well :D
It is nice to see that pilots/soldiers (?) were equipped also other watches than Prim - those times made in huge series in Nové Město nad Metují.
Hälsningar från Tjeckien skickar Tomas
Thanks Tomas! It would be fun to do a Prim watch one day also!
@@VintageWatchServices Great! I´m really curious which type of watches and movement you will pick up. I did small museum of Prim watches in my flat and have almost all their movements. If you want, based on pictures I´m able give you some informations related to watches, movement and history of company. But, you probably have it already.. :)
Enjoy your videos greatly. Helpful and even funny. Thanks for the terrific content!
Glad you like them!
Takk for video. Blir det for varmt får du ta med familien og flytte til gamlelandet igjen. Her har det regnet i snart 2 måneder 🥶
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The vent hole was that if cabin pressure is lost at a high altitude due to rapid depressurisation, the crystal will not pop out. My IWC Mk XV according to my owners booklet has the same properties (unused so far!).
My guess is the holes are for pressure. Otherwise at altitude the pop off back would pop off on its own?
great vid, thanks!
My favorite brands from back in the day are Omega and UG and Seiko (those vintage grand/king seiko, subtle ones)
I like the understated elegance.
The mindset of doing things that are subtle yet beautiful, no corner cutting, building things to last and beautifully finished. Just the perfect craftsmanship and mentality that just doesn’t really exist anymore. Some of the king seiko with the gold and brown are really beautiful imo.
While I didn’t quite like the design and the dial of this Longines, I absolutely love the movement design. That subtle ‘S’ shape of the bridge, the beautiful curve is absolutely a fantastic detail and design.
Kudos for the video
Thanks for watching!
Ultrasonic cleaner sounds like a cicada to me, not a cricket. In the summer time here in the Eastern USA, the cicadas can be quite loud with their distinctive sound.
What a nice old watch to have. A pleasure to watch you service it as well, and to hear your banter. Thank you.
I'd say the ultrasonic cleaner sounds more like cicadas than crickets.
Nice pallet!
Longines issued a “Heritage 1935” model in 2017 based on the wristwatch made for the Czech Air Force that you serviced.
I knew the holes we for pressure control inside the watch. Being a pilot I do get it
Old longines were so much more beautiful idk why the styling changed so much after 1960’s
Loved the video!
Lovely watch and great work seeing it serviced! Thank you!
Longines and Omega are two of my favorites in classic watches ... to a great extent due to their association with the Lindberg NY to Paris effort by Longines and due to the Apollo missions that used Omega watches. I own two Longines watches ... one from the early '90s and other current series ... and a 1963ish Omega Seamaster De Ville at present. I'd love to get one of the Omega Speedmaster Moon Watch models too. :)
Love that movement and era. I have tried to bring several cheaper brand "trench watches" back to life unfortunately with little success. Thanks for the video.
Such a chic tool watch. You do amazing work.
Thanks Stian! Nice watch, nice video 🙂
THANKS , GREAT VIDEO , LONGINES RULES
Nice work on the seconds hand. Something slightly different than the usual service
A real beauty!
Beautiful movement! I have been working on CYMA/Tavannes watches lately. Not as nice as the Longines. The nice thing about CYMA is that there are still many parts still available from Cousins.
Very nice!
Love the Longines 30L movement.
very nice watch great video again Stian
Thanks for watching!
Everyone that thinks that the holes are all about air pressure happen to be only partially (if at all) correct! Of course a pilot's watch could easily be made to resist any air pressure changes that a human could survive and many indeed are. The much more likely reason that there are holes in this watch case (holes that are quite large and obvious to boot!) is because there was a longstanding superstition that pilot's watches shouldn't be waterproof because they are meant to be in the sky not underwater. Specifically, the superstition was that if they were waterproof they might "attract water", which would be a bad omen indeed for a pilot! Of course this is silly, but it was a superstition! This according to Laurence Bodenmann, Heritage Director for Zenith Watches and former staff of the Musée International d'Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Ms. Bodenmann is also heritage watch collection curator and member of the scientific committee of The Watch Library. I think she's almost certainly correct about this and I also think that you'll all agree that this explanation in fact makes more sense technically speaking, since the Swiss have long known how to seal watches, and in any case it makes for much better industry lore! 😂😂😂
Thanks for the insight, Dayton, that's very interesting 😊
@@VintageWatchServices Thanks for asking the question! I happened to research Laurence Bodenmann a few hours after watching your video because she's part of the Watch Library team and they have a PR event later this week (within the context of Geneva Watch Days). Researching her background led me to a Hodinkee article in which she mentioned the pilot watch superstition in the context of the Zenith El Primero. And then I saw her credentials all the way back to the Musée International d'Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds and realized this is not related to a specific brand but was likely much bigger than that. The more I think about it, the more I think that the obvious holes in the Longines case are actually there to visually remind the wearer that it's NOT waterproof (so they don't accidentally shower with it on) - and that it was designed this way deliberately to honor that superstition. If they simply didn't make it water resistant but failed to make that obvious with those holes they'd get lots of service issues.
Longinesmovement caliber number 15 stands for size in lignes and 94 is model (hunter).
My guess for the hole is they have something to do relieving case pressure, bc at flying altitudes there's less air pressure and it could affect a sealed watch.
great job, as usual, Maestro…every video of your for me is a show…one question OT in this case, but probably you know the answer: the JLC 822.a2 caliber (Reverso) with 19 jewels, from the balance side I can see a barrel pivot jeveled, but I didn’t find any pictures of the dial side to see if the other part of this pivot is jeweled the same…thanks again and TA-DA!
Hello Fulvio, I don't know that movement, but if it's 19 jewels and you see one jewel on the barrel it's quite certainly jeweled on the other side also
@@VintageWatchServices this is what I guess, but for example, the 2820 movement shows only one jewel, and Sellita or STP put another one to the opposite part…thanks again and I’m looking forward to your next video…ah, TA DA…
My favourite brand is MuDu. I have my father’s automatic that he got for his 21st birthday and a few others from the same period (late ‘50s). Omegas😊 from the ‘50s are also a favourite.
I absolutely agree with you there but also Mido de luxe and their Powerwind models worked very impressively and looked elegant.
Gorgeous watch and a lovely video! I'm tempted to say: "As usual". And I even happen to wear a copy of a pilot's watch from that era as I'm watching. Since Jan's watch was issued to the Czech air force and I have no favourite watch brand, I recommend the Czechoslovakian "Prim" watches for a further video. A little off the beaten track, yet good quality, as far as I can tell.
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That is a really attractive watch. Longines should bring it back out but keep it a more vintage size.
Longines has released two versions of the watch in recent years. Compared to the original 40mm size and features, the Majetek Heritage 1935 has a 42mm case with a now fixed bezel and an added 6h position date window, while the Pilot Majetek has a 43mm case and includes the rotating bezel, without adding a date function, but for some reason including crown guards. While both are somewhat larger than the original, they're not massively so, though both are also 'not quite accurate' reproductions.
Another option, which I have myself, is the Hruodland F018 homage of the Majetek running a Seagull ST17 movement housed in a 40mm case as the original, but with a fixed bezel, and available with a sterile or branded dial in several colors, at a fraction of the cost (under $200 USD) of either an original or the more recent reimagined versions by Longines.
My guess is that the holes in the case allow for air pressure compensation as the pilot flies to high altitudes. Otherwise the sea level air pressure in the case might cause it to pop open when flying.
Cicadas, not crickets. French: cigales, Norwegian: sikader, German: Zikaden. The sound reminds me of the countryside around Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the summer when the cicadas "throb" in unison. Favourite becomes a redundant word as I watch more and more videos about vintage watches.
The Czech military police called. They want their watch back. There are some late fees involved. 😎
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Yeah to equalise pressure which reduces with height.
Pressure equalization at altitude. A watch has to have a way of farting, or it goes pop. ^~^ the engraving “Majetek Vojenske Spravy” (“property of the military administration” in Czech). I presume the 1977 is the serial number for administration purposes.
Right you are!
Nice work Stian, I love old flieger style watches like this! It reminds me of a Tutima that I have (the bezel always gets too sticky to work. ). IWC still lists the ability to resist blowout from rapid decompression as a feature of their flieger watches. I noticed this watch was marked anti magnetic. What technology did they use to achieve that (besides wishful thinking) as I don’t see any silicon hair spring or iron cages?
Thanks for some Saturday morning relaxation. 😊
Hello Randy, the ring the movement is held in is from iron, which probably explains the anti magnetic properties
Based on the first part of this video, in a future episode, would you explain the history and development of how the engineers achieved adjusted 6 position balances?
Hi Stian - I’ve been enjoying your videos very much. Regarding the watches for sale on your website, have they all been personally serviced by you? If so, I’ll certainly be watching (so to speak!) for ones that catch my eye.
Hi, thanks for watching! The watches on my website have either been serviced by me or by a better watchmaker 😉
this is one of my grail pieces
Dear Stian, Thank you for another magnificent video on a very simple, but impressive watch. While it is always a pleasure to see quality items serviced, this gem shows that it was designed to be treasured and last a very long time. I would just love to see these ideas return to manufacturing. The pile of stuff I have accumulated over my long life that cannot be serviced nor repaired and just has to be discarded is just embarrassing.
No “Ta-ta!” at the end. 💔
I like vintage Ingasoll for it's dials, the movements are very basic but the RY is quite good looking. would be great to see you work on a pin movement. If not a British made Smiths, then maybe a BFG
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Very good!
The holes are easy LOL. Assuming I'm not wrong.... I'd guess they're there to equalize pressure with altitude increase so the pressure differential doesn't pop the crystal out in an unpressurized cockpit or in the event of an ejection.
Edit: It's pre WW2 so scrub the part about ejection and pressurization./
Also, at a watchmaker's convention, I could imagine many watchmakers standing around nibbling hors d'oeuvres, sipping Champagne/sparkling Pinot Noir etc and complaining about the high price of barrel grease before the convener or proverbial tap on the glass announces the convention is about to begin; I can!
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Thanks for the great content! Btw, how do you figure out the exact angle to enter into the timegrapher??
I have a list :)
@@VintageWatchServices how do we get hod of it? Is it online? Could you possibly scan it?
Hello Stian. Just got around to watching this video today. It's been a busy week. Anyway, I was wondering whether that movement is just brass, or is it gold-plated? If just brass, it's remarkably clean and corrosion-free given its age.
Hello Frank, the movement is gold plated indeed
A lovely thing Stian! As soon as you mentioned no water I got it! Did you have a vintage tube in stock? Could a tube have been bought from Cousins? How would you work out what size you need? It would be in possible to measure the internal diameter! And those broaches must be the smallest ever, mine would see gigantic! I think the day a stem comes off one of my projects I will cry!
I had a scrap seconds hand which I pulled the tube off of. I don't think Cousins sells hand tubes, unfortunately. But it's luckily also quite uncommon for the hand tube to come off like this and for the tube to be of the old type.
@@VintageWatchServices thanks!
Beautiful watch, what is the brand of pin vise you are using? Thanks
I don't know to be honest :) But the best ones are from Bergeon.
To release the pressure while flying.
17:28 la fingrene gå, men pass deg for bjørner!
Pressure equalization?
Those are speed holes. They make it go faster.
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