Introducing the Longines Heritage Military


Saint-Iimer, Switzerland-based watchmaker Longines introduces the Heritage Military, inspired by the design of a 1918 timepiece from the company’s museum.

As you can see, the dial has the same large Arabic numeral hour markers, a similar small seconds display at 6 o’clock; and railroad tracks for minutes and seconds, respectively. The new watch differs in that the case has a modern – and arguably better looking – case. Also, while the hands work well with the new design, its predecessor has open-tipped “Breguet”-style hands. And, not surprisingly, the new hands are luminescent, whereas the original’s hands were not.

ORIGINAL_THE LONGINES HERITAGE MILITARY.jpgLongines Military watch from 1918

The case measures 44 mm in diameter and is crafted from stainless steel. A satin-brushing technique was used to finish the entire case, although the fluted-crown has been polished.

Notably, the dial has a matte black surface, which enhances the visibility of the large Arabic numerals, hands, and markings in comparison to a shiny dial. Also worth noting, is the date aperture the protrudes into the small second display and is superimposed overtop of a portion of the 6 o’clock hour marker. Purists would surely have preferred the date window to have just been omitted, especially considering the conflict it has with the timekeeping, which after all, is the most important element of a watch. This, is, unfortunately, what happens when using base calibers designed to be used generically across a wide range of watches.

Longines-Herrtiage-Miliatary-L2.811.4.53.0.jpg

The watch is powered by caliber L615.3, which is an automatic movement based on ETA 2895/2 that beats at 4Hz (28,800 vph), has 27 jewels, and a 42-hour power reserve. Water-resistance is 30 meters. The sapphire crystal is scratch-resistant with a multilayered anti-reflective coating. The Longines Military Heritage is finished with an elegant black alligator and steel buckle. (Ref. L2.811.4.53.0/3)