Longines Pocket Watch: A Rare Baghdad Connection

I have an amazing story to share with you all this afternoon, they say that fact is stranger than fiction and the odds of what happened today are pretty slim.

Turns out we were checking a collection of around 30 pocket watches both my father and I tend to get carried away in these sort of occasions when there are soneries and some pretty cool Pateks and Breguets in the mix.

We both agree at one point that we need to get down to some work before the end of the afternoon when my father stumbles upon a Longiness with the name of David and G S Abdoo, Baghdad on the dial, no big deal you think but it turns out that a good family friend is his names sake. The first thing we do is call him up for a quick laugh to share our afternoon anecdote and to the surprise of us both he goes on to explain that his grandfather was the agent for Longiness in Baghdad before the family moved to Monaco.

It is incredible that David who would have normally been living in the UK came over to Gibraltar and by pure coincidence met with a fond family memory in the form of a pocket watch.

Under the word Longines – the name of David and G S Abdoo, Baghdad. Engraved on the inside back cover was the word Longines, the name of Nacib K Djezvedjian and Son, Constantinople, along with images of medals and the words “5 Grands Prix Anvers, Bruxelles, Paris, Milan”.

Inside the front cover is a stamped serial number 4970923, an 0.800 mark and a circular stamp EFCo and Longines with the winged symbol. On the movement itself is the word Longines, the same circular EFCo trademark and the serial number

Longines manufacture calibre 19.57 which was first produced in 1891 (that’s the first created date for the movement named 19.57, not the date for the movement into your watch).

It was invoiced to Messrs.’ Abdoo in Bagdad, who was for many years the agent for Iraq, on 15.05.1930.”

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