In celebration of their 190th anniversary, Swiss watch manufacturer Longines have been launching a wonderful selection of luxury timepieces – the stunning Longines Master 190th Anniversary collection being one of our personal favourites. For their next instalment for the festivities, Longines dips their fingers into their vast archives and restores a gorgeous retro chronograph known as the Longines Record Heritage. With a dressy 1940’s aesthetic and a Swiss made COSC certified movement, the 2022 release feels like the perfect embodiment of Longines’ two-century long history.
Longines have a real knack for reviving historic pieces from their history and the new 2022 Longines Record Heritage watch is no different. In keeping with the form of 1940’s chronographs, the design boasts a 40-millimetre stainless steel case in the classic old-school sports watch style with slim tapering lugs, a polished, fixed and unadorned bezel and domed sapphire crystal glass. Due to the latter, the case comes in a little taller than most dress watches at 13.8mm but we’re warranted an unobstructed view of the dial thanks to a layer of anti-reflective treatment. On the left of the Longines Record Heritage watch, there are two polished oval pushers for controlling the chronograph complication and a non-screw locked crown engraved with the Longines logo.
The case of the Longines Record Heritage watch is almost entirely polished, giving the design a bright, dressy look and yet to the side, horizontal brushing helps reduce the feel of the thickness. Other elements of the case include a sapphire crystal glass case back for showing off the COSC certified movement within, a 30 metre water resistant rating and a choice of two straps. The first strap is a tan brown vintage-inspired leather strap with contrasting cream stitching and a stainless steel pin buckle. The second is a multi-link stainless steel bracelet closed by a folding clasp with brushed and polished detailing.
Truly embodying the 1940’s decade is the dial of the Longines Record Heritage watch. The matte black display is beautifully decorated with an abundance of golden markers including a gilt tachymeter scale around the circumference combined with a classic minutes track. For the hour markers, matching gilt brings to life a combination of baton markers and Arabic numerals to pair with the leaf-shaped hands for hours, minutes and chronograph seconds. The two subsidiary dials for the small seconds and 30 minutes chronograph counter contrast against the smooth black backdrop with sailed decoration and are also adorned in golden hands and numerals. Often an unnecessary trait for a chronograph is the use of sporty red accents on the chronograph complications, so we are pleased to report the dial is entirely duo-chromatic in just black and gold. The Longines Record Heritage watch also presents the Longines logo and its famous winged hourglass emblem at 12 o’clock parallel to lettering marking the model’s automatic chronometer status.
Driving the Longines Record Heritage 2022 watch is the Longines Calibre L895.4 chronograph movement. Based upon an ETA 2892-A2 platform, the movement delivers an impressive 59-hour power reserve, 37 jewels and a frequency of 28,800vph. There’s also an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring and COSC certification meaning the watch has been tested to perform to a strict standard of +5 seconds per day. As for the decoration of the movement, the Longines Calibre L895.4 is considerably favourable compared to others at this price point with perlage across the bridges and a Côtes de Genève striped rotor.
The Longines Heritage Record watch joins the brand’s permanent collection and retails at £2,730 on both the leather strap and bracelet. If you’d like to learn more about the 2022 release and shop it for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 40mm x 13.8mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Non-screw down
- Case Back: Exhibition
- Water Resistance: 30 metres
- Movement: Calibre L895.4 automatic winding
- COSC: Yes
- Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph seconds, 30 minutes
- Power Reserve: 59 hours
- Jewels: 37
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Matte black with gilt hardware, tachymeter scale, snailed counters
- Strap: Brown calfskin leather or multi-link steel bracelet
- Limited: No
- RRP: £2,730
