MN 521 Vintage Watch Overview

Key Points from the Discussion

• While MN watches are popular today, they were once very common. True rarity for vintage watches is often defined by production totals under 100 or fewer than 20 existing examples.
• Beyond the Longines MN, other less common Marine Nationale watches exist, such as those issued to Underwater Demolition bomb disposal teams. These were armory-issued for missions, not given to individual divers, with issue numbers suggesting production runs of around 100 per type.
• One collector shared images of their own MN watch, serial number 1644, contributing to the visual documentation of these timepieces.
• Research indicates that only 17 or 18 examples of specific Marine Nationale diver watches, possibly from the 13e RDP Armee Francaise Long Range Reconnaissance commandos, are known to exist, out of an estimated 150-200 produced.
• A comprehensive table of spotted Longines MN watches, compiled by Simon, is a valuable resource for collectors, indicating a wider range of observed serial numbers, including one recently seen with an issue number over 4xxx.
• There are at least three different dial variations for the Longines MN watches. While their use on ships is assumed, the specific purpose or naval department they were issued to remains largely unknown.