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Lépine · 2023-06-06T20:52:14Z

Explore Lépine's rare collection of Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft data plates and Longines Weems watches, connecting horology with aviation history.

Lépine

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

16 replies1502 views11 photos

Lépine, a respected voice in the WatchProSite community, shares a deeply personal account of collecting rare aviation artifacts, specifically data plates from Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) aircraft. His original post, sparked by a captivating historical video, delves into the technical specifics of the A6M2-N Zero Rufe and the broader context of wartime manufacturing. This article highlights Lépine's passion for preserving history through tangible relics, connecting the intricate world of horology with the equally complex realm of vintage aviation.

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A6M2-N Zero Rufe chased by a F6F Hellcat

This clip shows a poor innocent...okay maybe we started that off wrong....

If you can imagine what it must have felt like to see an American Navy fighter plane and a really good one at that...literally raining bullets on you for

a good several minutes, I am sure feeling cold at subfreezing temperatures thousands of meters above in the dark skies of the Pacific is the last

thing you will be think of. You might even need to crack open the window because you are feeling too hot all of a sudden. I know if I was the IJN

pilot, I would be sweating all over my flight suit in the minus 50F or colder temperatures.

The pilot shown in this film clip is flying a A6M2-N which is a seaplane variant of the A6M2 Model 21 Zero. The A6M2-N was about 20% slower than

the full blown Mitsubishi Zero. Having a big pontoon in the center and two smaller ones to the sides gave you a lot of aerodynamic drag, which this

pilot must have felt was like trying to run away with a parachute open and attached against the much faster F6F Hellcat. The Rufe as it was known

was otherwise just like the Zeke it was derived from, but being 20% slower is a huge disadvantage when 5% advantage in the right pilots hands

could mean 90% victory probability.

There were only 327 of these aircrafts built so it was a rare airplane from the beginning. It's primary role was to be a defender of new territory where

there were no airfields created yet for the land and ship based A6M. The aircraft is pretty popular in current pop culture because of its configuration.

It certainly wasn't the first sea plane fighter made for the Imperial Japanese Navy, but it was probably the last.

It certainly is a beautiful plane.

So a Data Plate for one of these ultra rare planes came up. And I really went for it, I was really disappointed that someone else wanted it even more than

I did, the price of that plate went into vintage watch territory.

Note: There are no A6M2-N that I am aware of that still exist even as a wreck or pile of aluminum scrap. Congrats to the winner of that auction

Well, all is not lost... I did win this one. While these were not rare planes, they were the iconic A6M2 Type 21 which was made with tail hooks and folding wing tips. This was the plane that flew from the carriers.

I don't know how this person found these data plates other that going into the jungles and finding remaining wrecks and smuggling the items out of the country.

Key Points from the Discussion

The author clarifies that the watch in question is a Longines Weems 4356, not a Seikosha, and notes its extreme rarity with possibly fewer than 20 examples existing today, compared to hundreds of Seikosha Tensokudokei.
Lépine confirms ownership of two Longines Weems 4356 watches, serial numbers #946 and #832, out of approximately twenty known examples. He identifies key distinguishing features, including Japanese writing on the back and a specific order number (20853) inside the case, exclusive to the Japanese Navy.
The Longines Weems is preferred over the Seikosha due to its solid stainless steel construction, compared to the Seikosha's chrome over brass, and its robust, accurate, and well-finished 37.9 movement, which was designed and manufactured in-house.
The discussion extends to other rare IJN aircraft, such as the Yokosuka D4Y1, a dive bomber faster than the Zero, with only one complete example remaining globally out of 660 built.
A contributor shares a historical anecdote about the Mitsubishi Zero's production, noting that later models suffered from poorer quality materials and that planes were often transported by oxen due to their fragility and the lack of trucks, with production further hampered by a scarcity of food for the animals.
Lépine provides an update with additional images of his WW2 IJN Longines watches and IJN Aircraft Serial Number and Model Identification plates, showcasing his collection.

The Discussion

montres1

Jun 7, 2023

We want to see the Seikosha at the end of your post !! :D As usual very interesting post, thanks for sharing

Epilogue

Jun 7, 2023

Yes please do show it!

LÉ

Lépine

Jun 7, 2023

Unfortunately, this is not a Seikosha. It's a Longines Weems 4356. It's quite rare today. Most empirical evidence seems to indicate less than 1500 were made and maybe not more than 20 exist. There are hundreds of Seikosha Tensokudokei still available and they come up quite often. Most IJN Longines are very hard to separate from their owners, I tried several with the polite reply "Not For Sale" I have a strong preference towards the Longines over the Seikosha which likely will changes once I own

montres1

Jun 8, 2023

I had never heard of these Longines Weems sold to Japanese army, and I am not surprised this information comes from you ! Do you have other photos of this watch even though you don't own one (yet!) :D

LÉ

Lépine

Jun 8, 2023

I do own one. In fact I have two 😄

Maybe the way I wrote the replies or the article was confusing. I do own two of them out of the twenty known. One of the easy way to tell is with the Japanese writing on the back of the Weems which you saw. There is another way to tell, which is by the order number inside the case. 20853 is only for the Japanese Navy. I own #946 and #832. Front of the Longines 832 and 946. This is 832 from outside. Here is a good image of 946. You can see the Japanese stamps from the inside the case. This is 946

montres1

Jun 8, 2023

Amazing, you are endless when it comes to collecting Longines !!! I went to give a look at the Chrono24 model, and was amazed to read that these were primarily sold to the US, i.e. the Japanese army went to buy them there !

And I agree the price is decent (even though out of reach for me), definitely a taker for those who can ! Thanks again for this encyclopedic yet shared knowledge !

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