The retro charm of the Longines Heritage Tuxedo collection

Based on late 1940s watches, they're among the most stylish timepieces unveiled this year

Published: June 24, 2020 17:19 Nitin Nair, Editor WatchTime Middle East

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As long as neo-vintage remains the strongest trend in the watch industry, Longines will continue to crank out the hits. The brand has an enviable catalogue of watches from the 1930’s and 40’s that it can turn to for inspiration and it does so with unmatched proficiency. The latest is a duo inspired by timepieces the watchmaker from Saint-Imier made in the late 1940s. Without further ado, take a closer look at the two Longines Heritage Tuxdeo models. Image Credit: Supplied

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The first model, the Heritage Classic Tuxedo (Ref. L2.330.4.93.0) is a simple three-hander (it only indicates the hours, minutes and seconds) that looks straight out of a post-War era drama. Modestly sized, the brushed stainless steel case is 38.5 mm wide and is fitted with a sapphire box-shaped crystal that’s reminiscent of the acrylic domes seen on vintage watches. The opaline silver disc has a matte black outer ring – “tuxedo dial” is a reference to the use of black and white tones on the dial. A subsidiary dial at 6 o’ clock indicates the running seconds, and the hours and minutes are denoted by rhodium-plated hands. The self-winding Calibre 893.5, the beating heart of this watch, is based on the ETA A31.501; it has a power reserve of 64 hours and is fitted with a silicon balance. Image Credit: Supplied

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The second watch – the Heritage Classic Chronograph Tuxedo (Ref. L2.830.4.93.0) is a classic mid-20th century style chronograph based on a model Longines made in the late 1940s. This handsome chronograph gets all the design codes of the original spot-on. Encased in a more modern 40-mm-wide brushed steel case, it has a bi-compax layout with a 30-minute counter at 9 o’ clock and a running second counter at 3 o’ clock. The color blue - seen on the central seconds hand, the hands of the two chronograph registers and the tachymeter scale on the fringe of the dial – adds a pop of color to the dial. Image Credit: Supplied

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While the legendary Calibre 13.ZN movement powered the original chronograph, the new version has a self-winding movement, Calibre L895.5 based on the ETA A31.L21 and produced specifically for Longines. The movement has a power reserve of 54 hours and uses a silicon balance spring. Image Credit: Supplied

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Both watches are depth-rated to 30 meters and is fitted with a solid caseback featuring an engraving of the brand’s logo from 1889 - a winged hourglass encircled by “EF Co Longines.” In case you are wondering, EF are the initials of Ernest Francillon, the man who ran the company from 1852 and under whose watch (pardon the pun), their manufacturing practices grew in leaps and bounds. While the three-hander will retail at €1,920 (Approx. AED8,000) while the chronograph is at €2,880 (AED11,950). Image Credit: Supplied

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