5 Longines heritage timepieces for every occasion
Longines offer a great many different styles of timepieces across five unique collections in their portfolio of wristwatches. And while each of the five collections provides a distinctive interpretation of what a timepiece should offer, in my opinion, the Swiss watchmaker’s Heritage collection resonates the most with horological enthusiasts. These are the timepieces that hark back to some of Longines’ most important watches of the last century and, more importantly, while the aesthetic presented is decidedly vintage, the innards of these Heritage watches are bang up to date, offering the latest and greatest engineering cred that the Longines has to offer. And when you can combine vintage flair with modern reliability and accuracy, it really is a “have your cake and eat it too” scenario. Anyway, with all this in mind, here are five examples of Longines Heritage timepieces that tick all the boxes of a great collection, no matter the context: The Dress Watch – Longines Conquest Heritage Every good watch collection needs a decent dress watch. And when we say decent, that means leather band, minimal complications, a case size preferably no bigger than 40mm and an arresting dial design. This Longines Conquest Heritage meets this criteria…
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Whether watch enthusiasts want to admit it or not, there is definitely a curiosity when it comes to celebrity watch spotting. It’s a guilty pleasure for most of us, and I have no shame admitting that I will regularly spend hours going down the virtual rabbit hole on Instagram, scoping what iced-out timepiece Mark Wahlberg has been spotted wearing this month. But it’s not all frosted APs, Richard Milles and Patek Philippes. It seems that some of the Hollywood elite have broader taste. For example, these four famous Britons from vastly different backgrounds appear to be rather fond of a certain independent British watchmaker; stars of the silver screen, comedians and death-defying survivalists all find something that suits them in the Bremont range. Tom Hardy – Bremont ALT1-ZT Hollywood A-Lister Tom Hardy has been linked to the brand almost since it was born, and the Venom actor — not well-renowned for toeing a party line on set — has even verbalised his support for the British watchmaker on his Instagram account: Sheer Engineering ♠️ BREMONT rugged precision focus flow somewhere under the radar way up high… Bear Grylls – Bremont ALT1-P That’s right, the maverick, renegade, and man-with-an-iron-stomach Bear Grylls fancies a Bremont…
As brands continue to successfully look to the past as they design watches for the present, a number of stylistic elements from as far back as the 1930s can be seen in modern watches. One of these anachronisms is the sector dial, an attractive layout of the dial that is typically defined by closed concentric circles that segment the dial. In this layout, there is a sense of order and control that comes from the portioned spaces of the dial, which remind a little of the structured designs of Art Deco, blended with the minimalism of the Bauhaus movement. As Longines breathed new life into this dial with their new Heritage Classic that they released last week, I thought I’d have a look at some of the best sector dials of the last few years. Dan Henry 1947 Dress Watch The Dan Henry 1947 Dress Watch is possibly the best-looking sector dial you can find on a budget. At 40mm in diameter and 12mm thick, it is a little larger than would have been normal in 1947, but it is perfectly sized for the wrists of today. With the charmingly applied Roman numeral indexes that sit within the brushed chapter…
Yes, we’re somewhat getting ahead of ourselves here, but with the abject misery of Australia’s particularly dismal winter now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to start thinking about ideal summer watches. What’s more, thanks to the land of Oz perpetually being six months behind the Northern Hemisphere’s summer style, we’ve already got a pretty clear idea as to what’s in vogue for the warmer months ahead. It might not come as a surprise to many, but white watches are definitely making a strong case for being attached to your wrist for when the thermostat cracks 30+ degrees. So, with that in mind, here are three of our favourite watches that will pair well with some SPF 50+: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe It seems logical to assume that if you’re looking for a summer watch, chances are you’re going to be heading to the beach at some point. And when it comes to watches that are as comfortable in the water as they are out, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms has got to be in the discussion. Luckily for us, the Swiss marque does offer the prolific dive watch with a distinctly white theme that includes a glossy white ceramic…
Overnight, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève dropped the list of their 84 pre-selected watches, which will be judged within an inch of their lives and presented to an adoring crowd of industry professionals. You can check the full list over at the GPHG site. There’s a lot to dive into, and quite a few of the categories are a little esoteric or academic. It’s fair to say that there are a few categories that are more popular with punters than others, and in that realm, we’re excited by the following contestants … Chronograph – the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT This category is all about start, stop and reset. It’s a strong field — as you’d expect, given the popularity for the complication — with Chronograph-focused brands like Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith all bringing something to the table. Our pick, though, has to be the Ultra-Thin Bulgari. It’s a brilliant piece of engineering, looks great and even throws a GMT into the mix. Diver’s – the Seiko Prospex LX This category doesn’t need too much in the way of explanation – it’s about watches that go deep. There are some strong niche contenders and a solid ceramic entry from Longines but,…
Earlier in the week we posted a list of worthy Father’s Day gifts, with a strong bent towards straps and accessories that are actually available in the T+T store. Well, today we’re doubling down on the dad, with a handful of watches suited to the father figure in your life. Grand Seiko 9F86 Quartz GMT If your dad is anything like mine, all they want is a ‘good watch’ — which is code for something that will do the job (any job really) without needing to be overly precious. If that rings true to you, let me suggest these quartz GMTs from Grand Seiko. Perfect size, impeccable quality, useful functions and absolutely zero fuss. Hard to beat. $4400 Tissot Seastar 1000 Another watch that’s hard to beat on the value-proposition front, the Tissot Seastar 1000 offers a lot of the bells and whistles that make a modern Swiss watch great (80 hours of power reserve, ceramic bezel and a fancy dial), in a package that’s good looking and unostentatious. $1000 Montblanc Summit 2 Dad is into his connected devices but needs to level up in the wrist department? How about the stylish Montblanc Summit 2? Smaller, and much more wearable…
There’s a lot to like about a rubber strap — especially if you live somewhere hot, wet or humid. The natural material is exceptionally hard-wearing, and comfortable to boot. The only issue is that in the past there’s been a perception that rubber is a strictly utilitarian affair and, as such, quality is of a lesser concern. The game has changed on that front, with brands like Hublot, Richard Mille and even Patek Philippe showing us what premium rubber looks like. But what if you’re after a solid aftermarket option? Well, we’ve got your back with these five high-end rubber strap options. ISOfrane rubber straps One of the more distinctive offerings on this list, if you’re a dive watch aficionado there’s a good chance you know ISOfrane already — these professionally oriented straps have distinctive large holes and an angled end. The company dates back to the ’60s and uses a compound called isoprene. And while the look isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (there are four more entries on the list, so don’t fret), the quality is very much there. $109 – $149 USD. Everest rubber straps Everest’s proposition is quite niche, but also somewhat genius. They’ve built their brand…
Every year the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) provides a point of interest for the watch community. Long after the hype of SIHH and Baselworld has died down, it’s a chance to catch our breath, look back at the year that was, and assess how many good watches were made in the preceding 12 months. The entrants for 2019 were recently released, with 150 different watches across 14 categories, all self-nominating as the best in their class. As per tradition, a good portion of the watch media (including us) offers predictions on those that will be successful that year, so we thought we’d turn that on its head for once and offer a list of watches for GPHG 2019 we wish would win, but likely never will. Ladies’ – ArtyA Son of Earth Butterfly Target Offering a reminder of the mystery clocks from early last century, this piece-unique contains a fragment of a real butterfly wing. Ladies’ Complication – Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Zodiac Lumineux Aries watch Sensational gem-setting and enamel work, but time will tell if the judges appreciate the “light-on-demand modules”. Men’s – Citizen Caliber 0100 This was one of my personal favourites released this…
Jewels are typically things you imagine adorning lavishly dressed socialites, or existing in piles that form the sleeping places of greedy dragons, so why are they so important in watchmaking? The reason is not frequently talked about, despite the number of jewels in a movement being communicated as a standard piece of mechanical information, and generally an indication of the quality of the movement. But it still begs the question: why are there jewels in a watch? As they discuss, the main reason for them is not decorative, but the properties of their synthetic mineral hardness. Apart from diamond, rubies are one of the hardest materials in the world, making them perfect to reduce friction in the gear train of the movement. Without them, the increased resistance in the movement would not only make the watch less accurate, but also increase the frequency the watch required servicing. This is a good thing for watch owners, as generally the happiest visits to your nearest boutique are because of a new purchase, not because your watch stopped working. Read the full article here.
For some, money is no object. For most, this is far from the case, but still an enjoyable intellectual exercise of “what if”. So, what if you win the lottery, and after taking care of the dull administrative duties (mortgage, student loan, etc), you decide to treat yourself to a couple of nice watches and, in this hypothetical, these watches will be chronographs? Lucky for you, we’ve prepared a list just for this circumstance — the most exciting chronographs of 2018. TAG HEUER MONACO CALIBRE 11 BAMFORD LIMITED EDITION When it comes to the customisation of watches, George Bamford is considered the man with the Midas touch. He enjoys a market-leading reputation that has earnt him official collaborator status with brands such as TAG Heuer. His decidedly avant-garde take on the Monaco features an ultralight carbon-cased version of the classic Heuer. Inside is the iconic Calibre 11 self-winding movement, with Bamford’s trademarked blacked-out aesthetic and contrasting aquatic blue markers and subdials to seal the deal. Ref No. CAW2190.FC6437, Case size 39mm, Case material Carbon, Movement Calibre 11, Price $10,600 HABRING2 DOPPEL-FELIX The split-seconds chronograph is one of the most challenging (and accordingly, most expensive) complications to create in watchmaking. That was…