2.1356 LEMANIA 3600 REF. 288 AUTOMATIC, ST. STEEL SWISS 1950s
£1,350.00
A superb early-1950s Lemania automatic wristwatch in a strong stainless steel case with beautifully shaped beefy lugs, screw-down caseback, and an exceptionally attractive original cream tone dial. This is exactly the kind of mid-century Swiss watch that combines serious movement quality and balanced proportions.
The preservation of the dial deserves particular attention. Finding a Lemania of this period with such a clean, warm, and well-balanced dial can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The cream surface, applied gold numerals, triangular hour markers, small seconds, and matching dauphine hands create a very refined 1950s composition. The luminous infill has been renewed with safe, non-radioactive lume, preserving the original visual character without radiation risk.
Lemania is one of the great pillars of the Swiss watch industry. The company’s roots go back to 1884, when Alfred Lugrin founded his movement manufacture in L’Orient, Vallée de Joux. Lugrin had trained at Jaeger-LeCoultre and became known for technically advanced chronograph and complicated movements, receiving important awards at Milan in 1906 and Berne in 1914. Until 1930 the company was known as Lugrin SA, before Lugrin’s son-in-law Marius Meylan established the Lemania Watch Co. name. Later, in 1992, Nouvelle Lemania became part of Montres Breguet.
Condition
Excellent vintage condition overall. The stainless steel case is very sharp and attractive, with only light age-related marks. The acrylic domed crystal is clear and gives the watch the correct vintage profile. The dial is very well preserved, with a warm cream tone and beautiful original character. The movement is clean and performs excellently after servicing.
The movement inside this watch is the Lemania calibre 3600, part of the 36xx automatic family introduced in the early 1950s. This calibre family is directly connected to Lemania’s earlier technical architecture, derived from the 30xx line, itself related to the S27 family – the broader engineering lineage that also gave rise to the famous CH27 chronograph calibre, better known in Omega form as the calibre 321, used in the first Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch” generation.
