STANDARD BEARER

Longines finds a way to elevate the classic round watch, with a bit of a precious twist

- KEN KE

It seems not so long ago that we brought you an extensive story on the latest version of the Longines Legend Diver but we are once again floored by the brand’s amazingly deep archive. With the Flagship Heritage, the brand offers a traditional solution to the problem of uniformity faced by classic round watches. Make no mistake, the nondescript nature of classic round watches is defined by this drawback – the tuxedo is good and relevant comparison here. Yet, if one removes the branding from the dial, this watch could be from any number of watchmakers, including non-Swiss ones. Typically, one solution is to decorate the caseback or use the movement within to express identity via an exhibition caseback.