Introducing – Longines Heritage Military 1938

Founded in 1832, Longines is among the oldest registered watch brands in the world. It’s no wonder that the company has a sizeable portfolio of faithful reissues in its Heritage collection. Look no further than the Avigation BigEye, Legend Diver or Type A-7 for recent examples. The Longines Heritage Military 1938 is the latest piece to join the collection with a design very faithful to the 1938 original, albeit with a few modern touches. First produced at the cusp of World War II, it features all of the hallmarks of a wartime piece.

5 years ago

Introducing – Longines Heritage Classic “Sector Dial”

There is no doubt that Longines knows its business when it comes to re-editing past models. This was true with the Avigation BigEye, the Type A-7 or the Heritage Military. Despite how good these watches were, there was always a small ‘but’ (a date, a large case…) but what you’re about to see is a […]

5 years ago

Review – Longines Avigation Type A-7 1935 – An Eccentric Pilot’s Chronograph from the Past

It’s quite common for brands to reissue watches from a bygone era, especially military and dive watches. The 2019 Rado Captain Cook Limited Edition, Seiko’s Prospex Diver 300m Hi-Beat SLA025 and Longines’ own Avigation BigEye are recent examples (and let’s not overlook the brand’s Legend Diver). The company’s Heritage collection pays homage to many more vintage pieces and the Avigation Type A-7 1935 is a quirky one with design elements to help pilots read the time and operate the chronograph quicker.

5 years ago

Introducing – Longines Master Collection Chronograph Bucherer “Blue Editions”

As the largest watch retailer in Europe (if not worldwide), Bucherer has the power to ask brands to be a bit flexible and create specifically designed watches. Those are named the “Bucherer Blue Editions” and, as you’ve probably guessed (or already know), they all share the same theme: blue details. One of the latest models in this series that comprises multiple (cool) watches is a relatively accessible and elegant chronograph. Meet the Longines Master Collection Chronograph Bucherer Blue Editions.

6 years ago

First Look – The New Longines 1832 Moon Phase (Live Pics)

Longines has created a new family of watches with the simple name of 1832. Up till now, there was only a three-hands and date in the collection, but today we have a new model that I believe is going to be successful: the Longines 1832 Moon Phase. The number corresponds to the year of Longines’ […]

6 years ago

Review – Longines Heritage Military – the RAF Re-Edition Watch

In the past few years, Longines has been quite successful in re-editing some of its most glorious vintage watches. This includes, of course, the Legend Diver, but also the recently launched Skin Diver, the Avigation Big Eye or the Lindbergh watches. Altogether, this creates a solid, coherent “Heritage” collection. One of the latest additions is pushing the concept even further… Vintage-inspired and faux-ageing to the max is what you’ll get with the Longines Heritage Military, a re-edition of the RAF-issued 6B/159 watch.

6 years ago

Introducing – The Longines HydroConquest now in Full Black Ceramic (Hands-On Pics)

Standing out with its clean and pragmatic lines, the Longines HydroConquest was introduced over 10 years ago as part of the brand’s sports collection. This modernly designed dive watch has since seen numerous iterations, including newer versions fitted with coloured ceramic inserts on the bezel. The brand now goes a few steps further in this direction, with the use of this material on the entire case. Meet the new Longines HydroConquest Full Black Ceramic.

6 years ago

Just Because – Longines Skin Diver Watch – Vintage and New Face-to-Face

Not many people know that Longines does not consider itself a “manufacture” but a “factory”, and encourages everybody to call it a factory. It is surprising, but it perfectly matches the spirit that commands the Maison these days: high-quality mass production. Despite having a vast collection of movements, Longines only uses ETA calibres (often adjusted […]

6 years ago

Buying Guide – The 10 Best Watches of 2018 from EUR 2,000 to 5,000

As the end of the year is fast approaching, it is time for us at MONOCHROME to take a look back at the main novelties of 2018 and to decide what were the best watches we’ve seen. As we did with our best watches below EUR 2,000, here’s our second buying guide, this time with the best watches of 2018 priced between EUR 2,000 and EUR 5,000. And this has been a tough selection, as this category is crucial for luxury brands – there’s a huge competition in this price range, as “accessible luxury” companies are fighting with entry-level models of more established names. But here is our top-10, just to give you an idea of what you could get with your hard-earned money this year.

6 years ago

Buying Guide – The 10 Best Watches of 2018 Under 2,000 EUR

Let’s make things clear! When Frank founded MONOCHROME over 12 years ago, the main objective was to create “an online magazine dedicated to fine watches”. That meant the celebration of traditional, high-end watchmaking. However, we are very much aware that most of our readers can’t afford such pieces and we are very much aware that accessible, down-to-earth, good price/quality watches are important. Yet, lower prices often mean lower quality – but not for us.
For this reason, we will publish several price-oriented buying guides until the end of the year, listing our favourite watches of 2018 – thus, each will be able to find the right watch according to his budget. Starting today, here are our 10 best watches of 2018 priced under EUR 2,000 – and well below that for some of these watches! And because you’re reading MONO, they are, of course, all mechanical timepieces. Believe it or not but “enamel dial”, “in-house movement”, “chronometer” or “annual calendar” are even part of this buying guide!

6 years ago