Longines' triple drop of Legend Divers celebrates 65 years of expertise
With its timeless design and cutting-edge performance, the Longines Legend Diver has been a true icon of watchmaking since 1959
Words: Zak Maoui
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Dive watches go all the way back to the 1950s, when a surge in their production was driven by a huge popularity boom in commercial diving, and the big watch brands started making dive watches for the masses. Longines was among them, with its first dive watches, the Nautilus Skin Diver and Super Compressor, giving it a name in the popular diving watch space.
Fast forward to 2024 and the Longines Legend Diver is now the more popular timepiece for watersports and beyond. It was introduced in 2007, as a nod to the brand's heritage pieces, and since has been one of the more notable watch designs in Longines' roster. An icon of the brand for 65 years, the Legend Diver line boasts a unique heritage in the world of watchmaking - harking back to that first dive watch in 1958, and later the first underwater watch: the aforementioned and revolutionary Super-Compressor, which came with an internal rotating bezel and two screw-in crowns.
This year, in 2024, on the occasion of its 65th anniversary, the Legend Diver collection is getting some additional players with new dials in green, terracotta and anthracite grey. Each comes on a 39 mm-diameter stainless steel case that is water-resistant up to 300 metres, and the trio of timepieces pay homage to the history of the Legend Diver while modernising it.
The new take on the diver's watch has been completely reworked on the inside, but at a first glance you wouldn't really suspect it as it is completely faithful to the original. Like other recent versions of the Legend Diver, which were launched last year and came with blue or black dials, these new versions are certified as Divers’ Watches (ISO 6425), with water resistance up to 30 bar (300 metres). They're powered by a Longines calibre L888.6, which is equipped with a silicon balance-spring and innovative components, providing a magnetic resistance ten times greater than the ISO 764 reference standard.
Meanwhile, the accuracy of the watches is unrivalled in the horological world. Each watch is subjected to a series of operating tests in different positions at three different temperature levels to optimise accuracy. The watches are also powered by the exclusive Longines calibre L888.6, which is equipped with a minuscule silicon balance-spring and other innovative components, providing a magnetic resistance ten times greater than the ISO 764 reference standard. This extremely precise self-winding mechanical movement has a power reserve of up to 72 hours.
With a vast amount of attention to detail, the dials on the new Longines Divers have been kept the same as the OG design, and each comes with a domed sapphire crystal with black metallic treatment and layers of antireflective coating on both sides. There is no date, but the hours are marked by elongated indexes and raised Arabic numerals coated with Super-LumiNova, ideal for diving. To finish off, the dials are encased in stainless steel with matching bracelets, while on the back you'll find an engraving of the figure of a diver.
A blend of cutting-edge craftsmanship and timeless design makes this set of Longines Legend Divers worthy of the name, and an investment piece for the next 65 years.
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