Longines

A quick look at our Longines article archives, and you can see that virtually every timepiece we have covered from the Swiss watchmaker over the past five years has been in the heritage collection, or otherwise vintage inspired. A company with such a rich history should tap into past designs for ideas, and Longines has perpetuated this concept more than any other company. Introducing the latest retro timepiece, the Heritage 1945. Unveiled at Baselworld 2017 in March, the new watch is presented in a 40 mm stainless steel case, up from the original 38 mm. Either size would be fine I think, amongst hardcore collectors and new watch enthusiasts alike. One unique element that was maintained from the 1945 version is the vertically brushed coppery dial, which has a luxurious texture and is curved like the original. Contrasting the straight

This week, Longines announced a vintage-inspired timepiece called the Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary Limited Edition that is based on the 1957s model called the “Flagship.” The case measures 38.5 mm, which is larger than the original 1957 model, but this is a perfect size for 2017, unlike the 2014 re-release of the Conquest, that is arguably a bit too small for modern tastes at 35 mm. Three metals are available: stainless steel (Ref. L4.817.4.76.2), limited to 1957 pieces, as well as 18K yellow (Ref. L4.817.6.76.2) and pink gold (Ref. L4.817.8.76.2) variants that are limited to 60 each. All three models have a silver dial, with a smooth center, and brushed, sloped, outer section, giving it a two-tone appearance. The Arabic numerals (at 12, 3, 6, and 9) and indexes are rose gold plated on the steel and pink gold watches,

Saint-Imier, Switzerland-based watchmaker Longines released a vintage re-edition today, based on a 1935 timepiece that was originally made for pilots. The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 is presented in a round fully polished 41 mm diameter stainless steel case (the original case was 51 mm in diameter). It is immediately distinguished by its white lacquer dial that has an unusual alignment at a 40° angle, to the right. This configuration places the 12 o’clock Arabic numeral where 2 o’clock is normally located on a typical watch dial. The atypical dial layout is not just to be different, that watch was actually designed to be worn on the inside of the wrist, with the unique orientation allowing the pilot to read the indices without having to release the plane’s control yoke. Moreover, the crown was designed to be easily adjusted,

Saint-Iimer, Switzerland-based watchmaker Longines introduces the Heritage Military, inspired by the design of a 1918 timepiece from the company’s museum. As you can see, the dial has the same large Arabic numeral hour markers, a similar small seconds display at 6 o’clock; and railroad tracks for minutes and seconds, respectively. The new watch differs in that the case has a modern – and arguably better looking – case. Also, while the hands work well with the new design, its predecessor has open-tipped “Breguet”-style hands. And, not surprisingly, the new hands are luminescent, whereas the original’s hands were not. Longines Military watch from 1918 The case measures 44 mm in diameter and is crafted from stainless steel. A satin-brushing technique was used to finish the entire case, although the fluted-crown has been polished. Notably, the dial has a matte black surface,

Inspired by a timepiece from the 1960s, the Longines RailRoad, is the newest addition to the brand’s retro-styled Heritage collection. A stainless steel case measuring 40 mm in diameter, looks practically identical to its predecessor, with the exception of a larger case, modern automatic movement (versus a hand wound), and a slightly different dial. Longines Heritage 1920s model The case is satin-finished with a polished bezel. A domed off-white polished dial features 24 black painted Arabic numerals, just like the original. Where is differs is the designation “R. R. 280” now reads “R.R. 888 Automatic”, reflecting the newer automatic caliber number. Shiny black lance-shaped hour and minute hands, along with a baton second hand, remain virtually unchanged from the original. Inside, is caliber L888.2 which is an ETA A31.L01 made exclusively for Longines by ETA. It beats at 3.5Hz (25,200

Longines has unveiled a new timepiece called the Heritage Military COSD which is inspired by a 1940s timepiece from their archives. According to Longines, the original timepiece was created for British Special Forces. It was designated for use by the Combined Operations Command (COSD) created by the British War Office during the Second World War. The 1940s timepiece which inspired the Heritage Miliatary COSD The stainless steel case measures 40 mm in diameter and is powered by caliber L619.2, which is a modified ETA movement. Either a cream or black dial is available, and you can choose between a military khaki-green NATO strap, or black leather. An oversized crown controls hours, minutes, seconds and date – and is big enough to operate even with gloves on. The dial has a military-style display with a 24-hour scale printed in read on

Introducing the Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph available in a 41 mm diameter stainless steel case with either a black matte or white lacquer dial. This new single push-piece chronograph, re-issued from the brand’s Heritage line, like this watch and this watch, is powered by automatic caliber L788.2 (ETA A08.L11) which runs at 4Hz, has 27 jewels and a 54-hour power reserve. It is distinguished by a blued column-wheel that is visible through the sapphire caseback. And most notably, the chronograph functions (start, stop and restart) are controlled by a single pusher built into the crown. On the dial either white or black contrasting Arabic numerals have been printed to mark 9 of the hours. Also, a 0-60 scale is printed on the inner chapter ring, with a tachymeter scale on the outer chapter ring. A small seconds subdial is

American Pharoah made history yesterday and became only the twelfth horse in the history of the Triple Crown to win all three races. The first since Affirmed in 1978. At a mile-and-a-half, the Belmont racetrack in Long Island is the longest of the three races (The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont Stakes). It’s the real test of a thoroughbred race horse, if you will. We were at Belmont last year (as guests of Longines, the official timing sponsor of the Triple Crown), and saw California Chrome attempt to win the Triple Crown and fail, as so many horses had before. This year was different though. American Pharoah passed the final test at Belmont with flying colors with a dominanant wire-to-wire win, by an impressive five and a half lengths. Giving us a new Triple Crown winner for the

In Longines’ continued campaign to launch new vintage-inspired timepieces every year at Baselworld, for 2015, they debuted a very cool diving chronograph inspired by a piece from 1967. As usual, it’s powered by an ETA based caliber made for Longines. Caliber L688.2 (ETA A08.231) features a 4Hz frequency, 27 jewels, a column-wheel with horizontal clutch and a 54-hour power reserve. The dial indicates hours, minutes, small seconds, date and has a 30-minute chronograph counter. The dial is black with long white, luminous indices, with two contrasting white subdials at 9 and 3 o’clock, and a black subdial at at 6 o’clock. The date is indicated via an aperture in between 4 and 5 o’clock. The case measures 42 mm in diameter and features a maroon uni-directional dive bezel. Steel crown and pump chronograph pushers. Solid case back with engraved vintage

Today, Longines announced yet another Heritage timepiece, this one inspired by one of its pilot watches dating from the 1950s. They have introduced a number of pieces to the Heritage collection this year, which we talked about here, here and here.