PuristSPro report: Longines at Baselworld 2014

Apr 12, 2014,05:30 AM
 

Longines at Basel 2014
reported by Marcus Hanke




This year, Longines launches an entirely new line of watches, the „Elegant Collection“. Concentrating on clean, sober circular cases with mostly plain dials and Roman numerals or polished hourmarkers, this collection impresses by its timeless elegance.



It is available in three sizes: 25.5mm, 34.5mm and 37mm. The largest one could justifiedly be called an unisex variant, especially in a clean version with white or dark dial and without any additional decoraitve elements. One dial features an interesting structure composed of vertical and horizontal lines.






All variants are equipped with mechanical, selfwinding movements, the smallest one with the compacet ETA 2000, the two larger series with the ETA 2892A2.



Case materials are stainless steel, or bicolor, with an 18k rose gold bezel. Diamond-studded bezels and dials are also offered. Appropriately, the bracelet is either plain steel, or steel with small inner links from rose gold. Strap versions are not yet available.







In 1954, Longines registered its well-known brand name „Conquest“. To commemorate this date, Longines releases a series of four different Conquest models, which are designed closely to the original:

A case diameter of only 35mm makes it very small for today’s standard, but typical for a vintage design. 600 pieces are offered in steel, while 60 pieces are in 18k pink gold with silver dial, and 60 pieces each in 18k yellow gold with either silver or gold-coloured dials.



Typical for this design are the faceted hourmarkers and the nicely finished dauphin hands, all equipped with luminous substance.



The solid casebacks feature a seal adorned with blue enamel colour: a constellation on the golden models, a fish on the steel version.



The movement is an automatic ETA 2824. Longtime Longines fans will remember the Heritag Flagship series available some seven years ago, that was very similar, down to the 35mm diameter and the faceted hourmarkers. Only difference was the date window on the 2007 variant, which spoilt the appearance somehow, and the nowadays 70% higher list price of the new model.



Generally shown already two years ago, the monopusher chronograph has been completed to a whole series with some interesting differences in style: First of all, there is a choice of two white-lacquered dials: one with Roman numerals, the other one with Arabian ones. Both have a red 12.





One case shape is more conventional, with fixed lugs, and available in either steel or 18k pink gold. The other one exists in steel only, is more drum-shaped, and has moving links, thus reproducing a vintage pocket watch with soldered-on lugs, as were rather common in the early days of wristwatches.



The movement is an L.788 chronograph movement, a 7750-offspring with column wheel that is exclusively used by Longines.



Longines appears to have concentrated on the re-edition of heritage timepieces, so it is not astonishing that, sooner or later, there must be a revival of the „Czech air force“, a famous pilot watch that was produced for the Czechoslovakian air force in the middle of the 1930s. What made these watches different from other aviation watches was the cushion-shaped case, at that time rather large with a diameter of about 40mm.

Another feature was a revolving coin-edge bezel, that moved a metal pointer under the hesalite crystal, thus fulfilling the duties of marking departure or turning point times.

Finally, Longines brings a re-edition of the „Czech“, dubbed „Heritage 1935“. And at first sight, it really looks like the original, including a nice, large crown. The unique cushion-shaped case is slightly larger, at 42mm, the hesalite crystal is replaced by sapphire, and the date window at 6 indicates the more modern, selfwinding ETA 2895-2 movement, a variant of the well-known 2892 with a small second. Friends of vintage watch designs will not be happy with the date, which really dominates the dial, since it interrupts the railway register of the small second. It would definitely be nice if Longines chose to add a non-date version, as they did with the Legend Diver.





What is really disappointing, however, is the lack of the original’s key feature: the revolving bezel with the pointer inside the crystal, which is visible in this picture of an original watch in the hands of my friend Stefan (note the small pointer 12):



I think, a good re-edition should reproduce the most unique and apparent features of the original, and for a pilot watch, a revolving time marker is such a feature. Because of it, the original „Czech“ was not watertight, but today, this problem can be overcome, as thousands of Breitling Navitimers from the recent years clearly demonstrate. A tiny one-man-brand from Great Britain had released his own „hommage“ to the „Czech air force“ for a fraction of the Longines’ price, and this features such a bezel-driven pointer under the crystal - while being tight to 30 meters. So Longines would have been well advised to spend that extra effort to offer the same in its own re-edition.



It will not have escaped the attention of any watch enthusiast that this year is the year of the horse in the Chinese zodiac. To recognize this, many manufacturers have released watches showing horses on the dial and/or the case, sometimes attractive, sometimes less so.

Of course, it was unavoidable for a brand specializing on re-editions of historical timepieces like Longines, that they, too, would launch a year-of-the-horse-watch. Consequently, they sent the special operations team of its archival division into the Longines catacombs with the strict order not to return without any old watch that could serve as a template for a horse-watch.

„A horse! a horse! a kingdom for a horse!“

I literally feel the growing despair of these poor people rummaging through boxes, crates and drawers, with no success, until, finally, one of them - let’s assume it was the youngest of them all, a Harry Potter of the watchmaking arcana - held something over his head, with a triumphant gesture: It was an old pocket watch, dating from the 1920s, sporting a horse jumping over an obstacle with its rider. Notwithstanding the fact that show jumping is not really a traditional pillar of Chinese equestrian culture, Longines decided to reproduce rather this - typical Western, no: typical British - motif than inventing a new one.



Unlike the iron original, the new version is made from 18k pink gold. Other than that, it is very conventional: the white dial is not made from fired enamel, but lacquered, and there is no vintage pocket watch movement, but a very common ETA/Unitas 6497-2, devoid of any special decoration. The pictorial motif is stamped into the outer lid, other decorations seem to be either milled or cast. This unspectacular, even simple configuration is surprising, giving the really high list price quoted for this watch. I won’t give details here, following our principles of standing above prices. It is enough to suspect that the Longines management stood above reason when planning their list price, since this pocket watch should be made from at least 800 grams of pure 24k gold in order to justify it. Needless to say that with only 50mm diameter overall, which is really compact for a pocket watch, this mark is missed by far.







Summing up the 2014 novelties from Longines, we see a trend continued since several years: Longines appears to become Swatchgroup’s recycling bin. Its most successful launches are re-editions of historical timepieces, or watches that have at least been strongly inspired by vintage designs. This is good, although the current hype of neo-vintage „novelties“, as expressed by brands like Omega, could cost Longines its uniqueness. More worrying is the fact that this „compulsion to re-edit“ at the same time means a substantial loss of phantasy and imagination whenever it comes to develop new ideas and new designs. The vast majority of the recent Longines watches without nostalgic roots remained bare of personality and recall value. I hope this will change in the future.

 

Copyright April 2014 - Marcus Hanke & PuristSPro.com - all rights reserved

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   This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2014-04-12 06:00:22


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Comments: view entire thread

 

The retrospective Conquest is one of my favorites . . .

 
 By: Dr No : April 12th, 2014-11:28
. . . this year, and for an unusual reason. I have a '56 Conquest, passed down from Dad. Curiously enough, his four brothers all owned similar vintage Longines, three of which were also Conquests. Two have disappeared (same reason: burglary), and the surv... 

Bravo to Longines for the re edition of the Conquest, a very nice watch.

 
 By: amanico : April 13th, 2014-00:39
But shame on them to have put a date on the " Majetek " and on the very nice Monopusher! I still don't get this need for a date in such strong historical pièces! Best, Nicolas

I always tell them the same every year at Basel...

 
 By: foversta : April 13th, 2014-02:43
They have the feeling that I'm a parrot now... but commercially speaking for a brand like Longines which sells high volumes, the date is always mandatory since it is a strong demand from the market. At least, we can appreciate that the Conquest Heritage e... 

Thanks a lot Marcus for the report!

 
 By: foversta : April 13th, 2014-02:40
And as you already know, my fav of this Longines collection is the Conquest Heritage. I appreciated a lot that Longines preserved its size and its dial. Thanks a lot for the report! Fx

Favorite Longines

 
 By: nitediver : April 13th, 2014-04:55
thanks Markus for the excellent report. I have to say that I am very pleased with what Longines presented this year, especially when taking the Monopusher Chrono into account, which I guess is not strictly a novelty however was new to me. On the 1954 reed... 

Fabulous report

 
 By: Spellbound : April 13th, 2014-05:54
Thanks for a wonderful and comprehensive report here. I am glad to see Longines pooling from their extensive portfolio of classic designs. The Heritage 1935 is definitely on my shopping list although I agree with you, it would have been a much nicer tribu...