Lanco Sport 15J with Gift Box
About Lanco Watches
Langendorf Watch Company was a Swiss watchmaker known for its fine craftsmanship and great attention to detail. Around 1890, it was probably the largest producer of watches in the world. The company produced watches in Langendorf, Switzerland, for exactly a century, from 1873 to 1973. The most famous brand of the company was Lanco (an abbreviation of Langendorf Watch Company) that was launched as a brand name in the 1950s.
Lanco used a highly sophisticated and semi-automated production line with modern manufacturing equipment. The brand soon became successful and known for fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. Considered at the time a mid to upper level watch, old Lancos are still considered to be of very high quality, and they are traded today as vintage watches. As with many European watch companies, after several acquisitions, Lanco was absorbed into the Swatch Group.
About this watch
I acquired this from a dealer in the U.K. because it was just too damn pretty. It screams 1950’s cool and just makes you want to get in your Triumph Spitfire and run to the club for polo or go to the pub… or whatever. Unlike many European watches of the period, it is shock resistant and solid as a rock. This is not an customised Asain "Frankenwatch" with a painted dial; it is all original. It is also fairly rare. I doubt you will ever see one like it, at least in the US.
At 31mm, it may be small by today’s standards. 31mm is the diameter of a screw-on wine bottle cap... not that I would know. It is still a great dress watch and a knockout women’s watch. It would make such a cool gift. Yep, that's gold plate. It comes with a jobber gift box as shown.
About me
I buy and sell a few old watches from the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s. I like Hamilton and the occasional Bulova. Sometimes I will venture into British watches (e.g., Ingersoll). I deal in mechanical and automatics. Like a tracker pipe organ (also an interest of mine) they are a combination of history, architecture, and machine: little artworks. I confess to owning a Citizen for work use, but I generally eschew battery powered appliances.
If the items in my collection seem similar, it is because I like aparticular style and function. I prefer real numbers on a watch face and need to tell time at a glance while speaking. I typically wear these watches for weeks, months, or years before selling them—ahh— to make sure everything works as it should. I am not just an eBay flipper. If I tell you a watch runs and keeps time: it runs and keeps time. When I make a buying mistake (oh, it happens) the watch goes to off to a professional watchmaker to be rebuilt and restored and, after my recovering some cost by wearing it, offered as such at a premium.
All the watches I sell are intended to be ready to wear and giftable.