Longines Record Heritage

In full on celebration is Longines for their 190th year in the watchmaking industry. A decade away from two full centuries in horology. For such an occasion Longines sought out inspiration from their past to launch a new “Record” collection. This latest “Longines Record Heritage” once again showcases this brands ability to provide quality for a reasonable price. Plus the design and layout of this vintage inspired model provides a glimpse back into the 1940’s and 50’s.The 40 mm case is made of stainless-steel with contrasting satin brushed and polished surfaces. Even the case bands follow a similar look, while the extruding pusher brings a polished glare.The fixed mounted bezel also adds brightness, as it enters into play with all the alternating finishing touches.On the flip-side is a sapphire exhibition caseback that allows a view into the inner workings of the mechanical movement. Along the outer wide steel portion is inscribed “RECORD” in a bold and sans serif font. Further decorations include the oscillating weight adorned by a “Longines” in a gold, cursive, and serif font.It comes equipped with two round edged rectangular pushers to operate the chronograph functions, while in-between is a knurled screw-down crown, embossed by the brands winged logo.All topped by a sapphire crystal with several layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides. Water-resistance can reach up to 30 meters (98 feet). Time is exhibited on a matte black dial with a mix of applied even Roman numerals, and hour index markers for the uneven numerals. Circling the flange is a tachymeter scale in a printed gilt format.It has a bicompax chronograph layout: a sub-seconds at 3 o’clock and a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock. Both of these sub-dials have a snailed interior and maintain the gilt aesthetics, The leaf-shaped central gilt gold hour/minute hands appear stacked with the longer, slimmer chrono hand. None of these moving parts were given a luminescent coating. Instead they rely solely on their limited brightness, enhanced by the contrast to a much darker black background.

The “Longines Record Heritage” (References below) is powered by the in-house self-winding mechanical movement, caliber L.895.4 with 37 jewels,, and 28,800 vph. It comes equipped with a silicon balance-spring. Power reserve can last up to 59 hours, when fully wound.Mounted on the watch is either a brown leather strap with exposed beige stitchings, secured by a stainless-steel buckle; or on a stainless-steel bracelet, secured by a triple folding clasp with a push-open mechanism. Worth a quick mention is how the price remains the same for both options, instead of the usual additional cost for a bracelet model. For more up to date information visit the official Longines website here.