150
Longines
Lindbergh Hour Angle " Presented to Douglas 'Wrong Way' Corrigan"
An extremely well-preserved and historically important stainless steel pilot’s watch with enamel dial, center seconds, slide rule, provenance material, and presentation box
Estimate
$10,000–20,000
Manufacturer
Longines
Year
Circa 1938, Switzerland
Movement No
5’402’629
Case No
5’402’629
Model Name
Lindbergh Hour Angle " Presented to Douglas 'Wrong Way' Corrigan"
Material
Stainless steel
Calibre
Manual, cal. 11 L, 15 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Leather
Clasp/Buckle
Stainless steel period pin buckle
Dimensions
33mm Diameter
Signed
Case, dial, and movement signed.
Accessories
Accompanied by fitted presentation box indicating the present watch was presented to Douglas P. Corrigan from the people of Detroit, Michigan, August 18th 1938, inventory hang tag, original instruction paperwork, copy of Douglas Corrigan’s personal inventory, and attestation by a member of the Corrigan family that the present item had been in their possession since its acquisition in 1938.
Full-Cataloguing
GOOD TO KNOW
• Purchased recently from descendants of the original owner
• Extremely rare and well-preserved example of the Lindbergh Hour Angle
• Former property of Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan, American aviator who made a supposedly unauthorized transatlantic flight in 1938
Following Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight, he began working on designing a wristwatch that would meet the requirements of pilots on long distance flights. In 1930, Lindbergh sent his drawings to John Heinmüller, who was the president of the International Aviation Federation and the director of Longines-Wittnauer in the United States. After only 5 months, a first prototype was ready and the final watch launched soon after. The result: a timepiece that could find longitude based on Greenwich mean time.
The present Lindbergh Hour Angle, made by Longines-Wittnauer, was recently purchased from the estate of Douglas Corrigan, most notable for his 1938 “unauthorized” transatlantic flight where he claimed to have gotten “mixed up in the clouds and…flown the wrong way”, overshooting his return flight from New York to Los Angeles and ended up in Ireland. He did this impressive flight in a 1929 single-engine plane he purchased from a trash heap that he then modified for long-distance flight.
Corrigan had been a welder on Lindbergh’s The Spirit of St. Louis, and upon his return to the United States, was granted the nickname “Wrong Way”. A brief national tour followed, and his fame and notoriety cemented in aviation history.
Stunningly original, well-preserved, and well-documented with the original presentation box and attestation from his family, it is a physical representation of the daring and élan of an early American aviation hero.
• Purchased recently from descendants of the original owner
• Extremely rare and well-preserved example of the Lindbergh Hour Angle
• Former property of Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan, American aviator who made a supposedly unauthorized transatlantic flight in 1938
Following Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight, he began working on designing a wristwatch that would meet the requirements of pilots on long distance flights. In 1930, Lindbergh sent his drawings to John Heinmüller, who was the president of the International Aviation Federation and the director of Longines-Wittnauer in the United States. After only 5 months, a first prototype was ready and the final watch launched soon after. The result: a timepiece that could find longitude based on Greenwich mean time.
The present Lindbergh Hour Angle, made by Longines-Wittnauer, was recently purchased from the estate of Douglas Corrigan, most notable for his 1938 “unauthorized” transatlantic flight where he claimed to have gotten “mixed up in the clouds and…flown the wrong way”, overshooting his return flight from New York to Los Angeles and ended up in Ireland. He did this impressive flight in a 1929 single-engine plane he purchased from a trash heap that he then modified for long-distance flight.
Corrigan had been a welder on Lindbergh’s The Spirit of St. Louis, and upon his return to the United States, was granted the nickname “Wrong Way”. A brief national tour followed, and his fame and notoriety cemented in aviation history.
Stunningly original, well-preserved, and well-documented with the original presentation box and attestation from his family, it is a physical representation of the daring and élan of an early American aviation hero.
Longines
Swiss | 1832Auguste Agassiz founded Longines in 1832, and today is considered to be a pioneer in the evolution of the chronograph. During the 1930s, Longines' chronograph wristwatches were used as tools for wartime aviators and military personnel. As one of Switzerland's largest manufacturers, Longines was an important supplier of wristwatches to militaries of multiple nations.
Today, they are owned by the Swatch Group and produce wristwatches for both men and women. Their vintage wristwatches continue to grow in desirability amongst collectors. Some of the most sought-after models include such oversized chronographs as the Lindbergh Hour Angle designed by Charles Lindbergh, Chronostop, Tre Tacche, A-7, Tasti a Spillo and Doppia Lanchetta.