The Longines Majetek and Others
Restored Longines Majetek / Credit: Timeless.li
The First Czechoslovak Republic was considered to have a very well-equipped air force given its size, part of the equipment for which was a wristwatch. Now, I don’t think we’ve done a single story focused on Longines thus far, but they are certainly rich in horological history. Longines is often associated with pilot watches, as many of their vintage watches were made for the military. One such watch is the Longines Majetek. A military watch that interestingly had a case shape very much like that of early Panerai models. But the Majetek was not exclusively made by Longines and was actually a model commissioned by the Czechoslovak military and produced by a few different companies.
The Longines Majetek was made for the Czechoslovak Air Force, and one of the most important aspects of a timepiece made for pilots is legibility, especially when considering the high stress situations in which pilots in the mid-20th century were flying in. The Longines Majetek specifically featured a black enamel dial with white Arabic numerals, so as to improve the readability of the dial. Another key feature was its internal rotating bezel, with a triangular marker at 12 o’clock that allowed for basic timing by the owner. The first model released by Longines housed a Caliber 15.94, these models were made from components from different time periods. So, although the movement may have been made in the 1930s, many of the cases were made in the 1920s. The timepieces were also shock resistant and anti-magnetic, as a sudden alteration to the functionality could spell disaster for a pilot. As mentioned, the Majetek was not exclusive to Longines and Eterna also produced the model; the most visible difference between the Longines and Eterna versions being the Longines’ coined bezel.
Eterna Majetek / Credit: AmsterdamVintageWatches
Along with Longines and Eterna, Lemania also produced Majeteks. However, both Longines and Eterna recently released a homage to the Majetek, so they are most often associated with it today. Presumably, the Longines model is a homage to the 1935 model commissioned by the Czechoslovak Air Force, while Eterna’s homage is to the 1939 model that was officially commissioned by the Czechoslovak government that year. This would have been the interim government established by Germany after their 1938 invasion of the First Czechoslovak Republic.
Lemania Majetek / Credit: Watchprosite user ‘Amanico’
Personally, I think the Majetek should be considered a Czechoslovak military model, in that the above-mentioned companies built their watches to Czechoslovak Air Force specifications and the watch was known as ‘Majetek Vojenske Spravy’. As such, despite the Majetek being made both in civilian and military versions, it is mostly remembered for being used by Czechoslovak pilots in the 1930s as part of their standard equipment, as Longines and Eterna were official suppliers, and also during the Second World War.
Surprisingly, original Majetek models are not completely out of reach, with Eterna often models available for less that $2,000 and Longines models found for less than $3,000.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Editor’s note: Thanks to Daniel Hug from Longines, we wanted to add some more detail to the article. The first fact that he kindly added was that Longines was the first to get a patent for the design of the ‘Majetek’ watch, filed March 29th, 1935.
Another is that these Longines Majeteks used three different movements: the Cal. 15.94, 15.26, and 15.68Z. The Cal. 15.68Z was a highly precise chronometer movement that even participated in the chronometer competitions. There was also a civilian version of the Longines Majetek.
Thank you to Longines’ Head of Branding and Heritage, Daniel Hug, for contributing to this article.