Longines 'Tre Tacche' Ref. 22243 - Black 'Gilt' Non-Luminous Dial

Longines is one of the most well respected manufacturers of the 20th century, full stop. Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, the company built a name for themselves early on as a manufacturer of quality in-house movements right from the start. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Longines also built a reputation for precision timekeeping, earning accolades at international exhibitions and becoming a trusted name in sports timing, particularly in horse racing and aviation — an association with continues until today.

By the mid-20th century, especially from the 1930s to the 1960s, Longines was at the peak of its technical and aesthetic prowess, producing a range of high-grade wristwatches admired today by collectors and vintage enthusiasts. The brand was known for its beautifully finished in-house movements, such as the 13ZN and 30CH chronographs, which are considered some of the finest column-wheel chronographs ever produced.

The piece that we have here is a simple, no-frills calatrava-style watch that has developed a cult following in the world of vintage Longines for its high-grade movement, robust case construction, and attractive, legible dial layouts. Known to collectors as a 'Tre-Tacche' for its distinct 'three notches' in the caseback, these pieces were available with a few case sizes, dial configurations, and even different time-only movements.

This example features a non-luminous black dial within a 35mm stainless steel case; a very uncommon configuration. The case has bene previously polished and retains correct proportions with its distinct 'stepped' top-case, curved down lugs, and screw-down caseback. The black dial inside is nicely-preserved and shows light wear and signed of aging, with clear minute markers and 'Arabic' indices with a matching gold-tone 'pencil' handset. Powering this piece is Longines legendary manual-winding Calibre 12.68.