Credits: Article and images by George Pakkos @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/the-longines-serbian-serbo/
As previously stated, these watches were gifts awarded to the lieutenants who finished the military academy top of the class. The second batch with black dials have a serial range of 5,7xx,xxx, with case size 37.5mm. The white dial versions, the first batch, have a serial range of 3,3xx,xxx, with case size 38mm. The earlier white dial version also has a faceted bezel as opposed to the flat bezel on the later black version. A combination of a large case at 37.5mm, coin edge flat bezel, military connection, a very distinctive dial with the coat of arms and retailer signature, along with the caseback engraving, makes the Serbo a very desirable and interesting watch for collectors. Interestingly, most of the examples that have appeared seem to have aged in a similar fashion. Most have an almost puffy-looking patina, as can be seen in the various pictures of the watch in this article. This is probably due to the process of how these galvanised dials were originally made and in turn have aged and, in my view, adds to the charm of the watch.
The calibre 15.26 was first produced in 1911, it’s a 15½ ligne movement with a “hunter lever winding mechanism”, more or less it used the same ébauche as the calibres 15.25, 14.25, 17.26 and 21.25. Many have suggested that this was in order to retain the production costs and this was a goal regarding production of the movements in the early 20th century. But it should be emphasised that by 1937, these “old” calibres represented just 10 percent of production and were generally used mainly for special order watches, as the costs of finishing the movements were higher than that of making the new calibres. The 15.26 proved to be a sturdy calibre and, as a result, was used in other military Longines from the period, most notably the “Tartaruga” (ref. 3582). The movement proved reliable. It was gilt-finished, 34.7mm in diameter and 5.65mm in height, with a bi- metallic balance and steel Breguet overcoil.
Credits: Article and images by George Pakkos @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/the-longines-serbian-serbo/