Longines’s Heritage line, which features reissues of past classics, is much-loved by watch enthusiasts and more often than not, every new reissue tends to hit the spot, especially the GPHG-winning release from last year. This year, Longines released a new version of the Legend Diver, which is based on a classic diver the St. Imier brand first produced in the 1960s.
Like its steel-cased predecessors, the first of which launched in 2007, the new Longines Legend Diver again pays tribute to the style codes of the 1960s. In this execution, however, the watch’s 42-mm stainless steel case, which faithfully reproduces the sporty silhouette of the original, is coated with a black PVD coating for a sleek, modern look.
Also aping the 1960s model, this watch has two crowns — one for winding the watch, the other for operating the internal rotating divers’ bezel, a feature that evokes the technical limitations of the original’s era. Both the crowns and the caseback are screwed, helping to ensure a professional-grade water resistance level of 300 meters. The inner rotating bezel, which serves as the flange of the watch, can also be locked in place by its dedicated crown, ensuring that a diver wearing it knows exactly how long he has been underwater.
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The black lacquered dial is punctuated by indices, numerals, and hands coated with Super-LumiNova; the 12, 6, and 9 Arabic numerals are executed in clean, extra-legible typography, while a date window marks the 3 o’clock position. The polished, rhodium-plated hands are also treated with the luminous substance.
There is a substantial upgrade from the previous Legend Divers inside the watch, under a solid caseback with an engraving of a diver: Longines’s automatic Caliber L888.2 (a modified ETA A31.L01), with a 64-hour power reserve, replaces the L633 Caliber, whose power reserve was 38 hours. This Longines-exclusive movement also features 21 jewels and a balance frequency of 25,200 vph.
The black rubber strap is also intriguing, as it replicates the look and texture of the steel Milanese mesh bracelet introduced on the most recent Legend Diver models. It has a double security folding clasp made of titanium, with an integrated divers’ extension. The Longines Legend Diver will retail for $2,700 (AED9,915).
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