Introducing the new Longines Avigation BigEye Titanium Blue watch

The new Longines Avigation BigEye watch is a lightweight, vintage-inspired Pilot’s chronograph watch with a striking petrol blue-coloured dial equipped with an oversized BigEye minute counter.

If you have a soft spot for retro-looking watches and haven’t yet explored Longines’ Heritage watch collection in detail – you need to. The series is a treasure trove of timepieces dedicated to vintage-inspired watches and reissues of popular favourites from the brand’s rich past. If you didn’t already know, Longines has strong links with the aviation industry and as part of its way of celebrating this relationship, watches from the brand’s historical catalogue have made a comeback through said Heritage collection over recent years. These include the Lindbergh watches from the 1930s and the Aviation Watch Type A-7, not to mention WWII pilot’s watches. One of the newest members of the Longines Heritage watch collection is the Avigation BigEye watch ref: L2.816.1.93.2

Hands down, the new Longines Avigation BigEye watch is the full package because of three key reasons;

• 1)A vintage-inspired pilot’s chronograph design
• 2)A reliable self-winding movement
• 3)An affordable price tag

It was first reissued a few years back, nodding to an original timepiece still shrouded in mystery from a bygone era – a military watch for aviation professionals. The clear focus behind the original design was evidently around principles of legibility and reliability as opposed to style, yet when the reinvented model launched in 2017, its semi-glossy black dial and charm-infused character couldn’t have been any less stylish if it had tried. This time, the new Longines Avigation BigEye watch boasts a rich petrol blue gradient dial, framed in a lightweight titanium case.

No doubt, this new iteration is comfortable on the wrist, constituting a timepiece for collectors of classic Pilot’s watches and chronographs alike. Interestingly, the Longines Avigation BigEye watch is inspired by a wristwatch that was originally presented to the Longines Museum yet could never be traced back to the brand’s archives. Therefore, did the watch ever really exist? What was the year of its production? Was it a prototype? These questions remain unanswered and have undoubtedly added to the charm and mystique surrounding modern watches created in its honour. What was clear, however, was that its beautiful design was certainly worth reincarnating, and so Longines did just that.

The 2017 Longines Avigation BigEye watch boasted a tri-counter layout, luminous Arabic numerals and an oversized minute counter housed in a robust stainless steel casing. Whilst this module remains part of Longines’ Heritage watch catalogue, the new titanium Avigation BigEye watch with blue dial ref: L2.816.1.93.2 is a more modern take on this old faithful, still managing to share some strong characteristics with vintage pilot’s watches made for the French Air Forces way back when.

Longines uses a change of materials to create the new blue dialled Avigation BigEye pilot’s watch. Its 41mm case size wears slightly larger on the wrist thanks to the push-pieces located at 2 and 4 o’clock, which accompany the Longines-engraved screw-down crown nestled in between the two. The case’s coin-edged profile combines with a stepped edge bezel to create a striking presence on the wrist. In addition to grade 5 titanium being remarkably lighter in weight compared to steel, its colour also imparts a crisper, more contemporary, cooler lustre.

Lift the bonnet of the new Longines Avigation BigEye watch and the L688 Calibre performs relentlessly under a sealed and screwed-down caseback. This means that unfortunately, you don’t get to admire the movement whilst in working motion. What you do get, however, is the guarantee of a smooth and reliable performance. The movement is based on the ETA A08.L01 and beats to a rhythm of 28,800 vibrations per hour whilst delivering a power reserve of 54 hours. The heavily modified engine features a column wheel for a smoother and overall improved mechanical performance, along with an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring. You also get a special engraved caseback bearing the Longines name and the iconic aircraft depiction that is often seen emblazoned onto the caseback of many a watch belonging to Longines’ pilot’s range. The 30-meter water-resistant case attaches to a natural light brown smooth leather calfskin strap with a traditionally-styled titanium pin buckle bearing the Longines logo.

The dial of the new Longines Avigation BigEye watch is where this model varies from its former 2017 sibling. Before, the dial of the vintage-inspired pilot’s watch was a matte non-textured black. Although the colour palette of the new model can be considered somewhat unusual - it works perfectly well in this design. Its petrol blue colour contrasts beautifully with the vintage shade of the “old radium” type Super-LumiNova material coating the Arabic numerals. In addition to this, the trio of chronograph counters pop against the dial and are filled in with a black colour, executed in a concentric pattern. The base of the dial boasts a grain texture and is gradient finished, with darker shades around the edge. The remaining markers on the dial are left in white, further adding depth and detail to the display.

For more information on the Longines Avigation BigEye watch, you can visit the link here or call our sales team at Jura Watches on 01335 453453

Technical specifications of the Longines Aviation BigEye watch

• Case: Width 41mm – height: 14.5mm – grade 5 titanium – boxed shape sapphire crystal glass front – 30-meter water resistance – brushed and polished finishes – screwed-down engraved titanium caseback – stepped bezel
• Dial: Grain-textured petrol blue –chronograph counters filled in black with concentric pattern – 12-hour – small seconds – oversized minute BigEye counter – sandblasted hands – cream-coloured “old radium” Super-LumiNova hands and indexes
• Movement: L688 Calibre – self-winding – modified from the ETA A08. L01 – 54-hour power reserve – 28,800 vibrations per hour – silicone balance spring – column wheel
• Strap: smooth light brown calfskin leather – grade 5 titanium pin buckle
• Reference: L2.816.1.93.2
• Price: £2,970