New for 2022: Longines Legend Diver
Tuesday - 01 March 2022
Take a surrealist plunge into the depths of the Longines Legend Diver watch with a new array of coloured gradient dials and a 42mm or 36mm size option.
Some of the best diver’s watches on the current market today are those manufactured by Longines. What’s more, the company is not scared to revisit important models of its past. Vintage watches are occupying a large segment of the dive watch category right now. The Longines heritage collection hosts the perfect meeting place for many past Longines watches, including its expert pilot’s watches, sports watches and, of course - dive watches. The Longines Legend diver watch first came to be back in 2007. It was a faithful reimagination of the Longines Super-Compressor watch released in 1959 – the ref. 7042. Since its inception, the Longines Heritage Legend Diver watch collection has expanded to accommodate several coloured fume dials and different case sizes. Now the St-Imier-based watch manufacturer offers more colourful designs, along with two case size options. These newly released twin crown designs have a completely vintage-inspired look – each one bringing a new personality to the mix. The 42mm model is a size that has become a fixture within the range, whilst the 36mm versions offer a far more compact option for the slender wrist.
Many watch collectors associate Longines’ dive watches with the 1950s, with the Super-Compressor watch. Yet its links to underwater timekeeping date back much further into the archives. In 1937, Longines released its first chronograph with waterproof push-pieces. Now, the Longines Legend Diver watch expands this legacy for the brand with a set of new flavours. These shaded dial colours are topped with box-shaped sapphire crystal glass and powered by reliable automatic movements. They also feature internal rotating bezels and twin crowns. In addition to the former dark brown and blue gradient dials released last year, the 42mm version of the Longines Legend Diver watch is now available on a sandy beige dial with a tone-on-tone fabric strap and an ash grey coloured dial with matching coloured NATO strap. The 36mm watches are clad in royal blue, burgundy red, and sandy beige dial colours, and come on a matching tone-on-tone fabric strap.
How have the new Longines Legend Dive watches changed?
Well, not very much. And believe me when I say, that’s a good thing. Why fix what’s not broken? Avid Longines dive watch fans will be more than pleased to hear that the dial colours and case sizes are the only two elements to choose from with the design of the LLD. Everything else remains the same. There is an added dose of vibrancy to be appreciated across this new colour palette. They are fun but more than capable of fulfilling their aquatic duties underwater. Built with 300-meter water resistance, these stainless steel models measuring 42mm or 36mm diameters are not intended for any particular gender either. Males with smaller wrist sizes will appreciate this more compact and down-sized version of the Longines Legend Diver, whilst female fans will rock the look equally.
The time and date dive watches have a distinct vintage look about them, with Super-LumiNova-coated square indexes, rectangular-shaped markers and legible hands that also glow richly in the dark. The Arabic numeral hour markers are located around the cardinal points of the dial again – the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The hour hand has a large arrow-shaped tip, whilst the date aperture is located at 3 o’clock. Each of the dials is glossy with a gradient effect, bleeding out into a much darker tone around the edge of the display. Each model is equipped with a black internally rotating bezel that can be activated using the crown. The beige colour of the hour markers on each dial create a distinct vintage-inspired look and each model sits at a slightly different height. The larger 42mm version measures a depth of 12.7mm whilst 36mm variants measure a depth of 11.9mm. The ash grey 42mm model is a more classic-looking dive watch, whilst the burgundy and royal blue coloured 36mm models certainly bring vibrancy and dynamism to the collection. Inarguably, the LLD is simply stunning in beige. You can’t argue with that.
The movements
The 42mm and 36mm version of the new Longines Legend Diver watch are powered by different movements. The 42mm version is generated by the automatic L.888.5 and is capable of producing a 72-hour power reserve. It beats at 25, 500 vibrations per hour and features an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring. The 36mm versions are powered by the automatic L.592, which provides a 45-hour power reserve and again comes with anti magnetic components for promising an enhanced mechanical performance.
If you’d like more information on any of these five new variants from the successful Longines Legend Diver watch collection, you can check out the new range here or call and speak to a watch specialist at our sales team on 01335 453453
