Imminent take-off
It may not be new, but it is a pleasure to find the Avigation BigEye again. The model was brought back into the collection in 2017 and is now back in a brand-new version. The Avigation was initially designed in the 1930s and this new model comes in titanium with a blue dial. Its special feature is an oversized 30-minute counter that recalls its aeronautical ancestry. The new Avigation is not stuck in time, however, since it is now equipped with a new chronograph movement with a silicon balance spring that anchors it definitively in the 21st century. It also comes with a five-year guarantee. Among the numerous finishes and details that make up its charm, the grained and blue-grained dial is of particular note. One could have imagined cathedral-shaped hands from the 1920s or 30s, but in its current version, the Avigation BigEye is an example of readability.
65 years on the meter
A little closer to our time, the Silver Arrow model was first produced in 1956. Far from the Art-Deco spirit of its predecessors, this model affirms the simplicity and sobriety that would prevail throughout the 1950s and 60s. It is a three-handed model that Longines has kept to the original size of 38.5mm, and they didn’t succumb to the temptation of adding a date aperture either! The timepiece features dauphine hands that sweep around a sober dial adorned with the Silver Arrow signature in italic at six o’clock. The unusually shaped indexes are of particular note with their wave shape that becomes straight every three hours. What is also interesting in a timepiece of this size is that it looks as good on a man’s wrist as it does on a woman’s wrist.
Once classic, always classic
Let’s go forward in time to 1992, the date of the launch of the Longines Grand Classic. Today, the manufacture is significantly expanding this collection with six different diameters (24, 29, 33, 36, 37, and 38 mm). All the essential design elements remain the same – lugs that are connected to the caseback, thin hands (for the hours and minutes) that are positioned against a classic dial. The new pieces come with a large selection of dial options, including white, black, blue or brown mother-of-pearl, silver or gold that can also come with a sunray finish, along with lacquered dials and engraved dials with a flinqué design. They can also be decorated with Roman numerals, diamonds, painted hour-markers, and more, preserving a classicism that may seem conventional but that also meets a demand that is not waning, and will probably never wane.
A wave to the soul
Let’s now go under the water with two new timepieces. The first is the Legend Diver which has now resurfaced again. It was first developed in 1937 at a time when Longines was looking into the construction of a water-resistant case. This was followed in 1958 by the Nautilus Skin Diver that was popular throughout the 1960s.
In 2007, the brand unveiled the re-edition of the Legend Diver Watch, and this year sees a brand-new variation. This watch is equipped with a sapphire crystal instead of the historical plexiglass, along with two crowns and a screwed-in case back that guarantee its water-resistance to 300 metres. The period manual movement is also replaced by an automatic calibre with a balance spring in silicon. The Legend Diver, which already existed in black, and caused a sensation when it was released in green, is now available in a blue or brown version with a leather strap – a pertinent choice for everyday use, but one that is still questionable for a diver’s watch.
On the other hand, and despite appearances, the contemporary diameter of 42 mm remains faithful to the spirit of the diver’s watch from the late 1950s. The Super-Compressor ref. 7042, released in 1959, already had a similar diameter, which was more or less preserved throughout the following decades with the various Longines diver’s watch models.
The HydroConquest sees double
Closer to our time, but still underwater, Longines is also unveiling new variations of its sporty and modern yachting collection, the HydroConquest. Today, the brand is exploring bi-colour cases. Available in blue, grey, black, or green, these timepieces feature a sleek design and come fitted with ceramic bezels that match the colour of the dials. There are new variations in steel with yellow or pink gold PVD. These new colours offer a renewed aesthetic appeal with their ceramic bezels and a guaranteed water-resistance of 300 metres. The black and pink gold model is of particular note as it looks as elegant on the deck of a yacht as it does in the city.
Dolce Vita
To conclude, new models have also been added to the DolceVita collection, launched almost 25 years ago, in 1997. While the fashion for vintage had not yet returned to the forefront of watchmaking trends, this piece was already inspired by the aesthetic codes of the 1920s and the Art Deco aesthetic with its rectangular dial that would also become the signature of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso in 1931. Today, the DolceVita collection features new dials that can, depending on taste, add a little more aesthetic appeal. They complement the existing collection, without replacing them. Another new feature is interchangeable straps. There is enough to enrich a plethora of options, with nearly 70 references available. With so much variety on offer, it will be difficult not to find something you like at Longines this year.
