The 1920s and 1930s were a golden era for aviation. The combination of a relatively novel field - holding the promise of flight nonetheless, one of humanity’s most ancient dream - relative socio-economic stability of the time, and the incumbent winds of war prompted the aggressive development of more and more reliable aircraft, eventually achieving transcontinental flight (Charles Lindbergh, 1927).

Lindbergh was also the brain father of the present complication: the Hour Angle. Improving on the simpler Weems Seconds setting system (which allowed to easily and precisely synchronise the watch with a radio signal), the Hour Angle was designed for aircraft pilots to precisely locate and understand their position during flight.

It was following his return to St. Louis after his successful flight across the Atlantic that Lindbergh started drawing a wristwatch meeting the requirements of pilots during 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.

Fitted with an enamel dial, the present watch is offered in absolutely astounding condition. The enamel is free of cracks or hairlines, and the case is incredibly sharp and tight.

It represents an incredibly well preserved historical relic from a time when a couple of missed seconds on a pilot’s watch could send the aircraft miles off course, potentially jeopardising the life of the crew. It can thus be said that these timepiece were truly and literally vital pieces of equipment for aviators of the time, as important to the plane survival back then as they are sought-after by collectors today.