Baselworld 2015: The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 - designer elegance and functional performance

Baselworld 2015: The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 - designer elegance and functional performance

Longines draws on its rich watchmaking history to offer new editions of its iconic pieces. The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 draws its inspiration from a divers watch produced in 1967. Its graduated bordeaux diving bezel contrasts elegantly with its black opaline dial and silver-coloured counters. This chronograph watch is also equipped with a tachymeter function. An original piece is kept in the Longines museum in Saint-Imier.

Longines has always made chronographs designed to accompany pioneers' exploits. After having explored the earth and the sky in the twenties and thirties, athletes turned to the ocean depths in the fifties in the early days of diving with compressed air. This turning point promoted the development of divers watches. The reliable and elegant divers watches produced by Longines experienced great success.

Today, Longines is reissuing a divers watch dating back to 1967, a copy of which is kept in the Swiss watchmaker's museum in Saint-Imier. The divers watches of the time borrowed the pilot watch system, in particular their notched rotating bezel with divisions in minutes. This device makes it possible to calculate the length of the dive. The tachymeter scale of the internal flange is used to calculate the speed of the diver: the chronograph must be triggered at the starting point and stopped once the distance of one kilometre is completed. The hand will indicate the average speed.

With a diameter of 42 mm, The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 case houses a self-winding L688.2 movement. This chronograph features a completely original design, reflecting the model that inspired it. It’s silver-coloured asymmetrical counters stand out against the black opaline dial. The bordeaux graduated bezel and silver-coloured tachymeter scale of this model add elegant touches of colour to the overall piece. In the spirit of divers watches, the hands and hour markers are coated in Super-LumiNova® while the back and crown of the piece are screwed to ensure water resistance of up to 30 bar. The watches are fitted with a steel bracelet, black leather or rubber strap. An engraving of a diver adorns the caseback as a reminder of the first divers watches produced by Longines.