From Longines this year is a watch that goes all the way back to the very beginnings of their decorated watchmaking history. In the early 1900’s when chronographs were really coming to the fore, all chronographs came with a single pusher that controlled the start, stop, and reset functions of the stopwatch. It was only later through the hard work of the renowned Breitling family that chronographs came equipped with one and then two pushpieces activating the chronograph. Single Push Piece Chronographs occupy a very special place in the heart of the purist watch collector.
With this release, the chronograph is fitted with a column wheel mechanism where it makes for a smooth start to the chronograph when activated. Most chronographs when not fitted with a column wheel actually jerk forward ever so slightly causing inaccurate timing. Through the exhibition sapphire case back, the wearer can see the column wheel in blued steel.
This model comes in three versions and in two case materials – stainless steel and 18kt rose gold. The decidedly vintage look of this watch will guarantee its commercial success. The broad bezel houses a scratch resistant sapphire crystal which maintains the dial window’s pristine condition. The ridged main crown is also fitted with the single chronograph push piece. There is a version of this watch in stainless steel, which has flexible lugs and is larger than the other editions. Powering this watch is the single push piece chronograph movement caliber L788 made exclusively for Longines by ETA. Each of these models come with a 40mm case diameter, which is considered to be a modest size on the wrist of men.
The dial is white on all three watches and they feature a variant of Roman numerals or Arabic numerals for the hour markers. Whether in Roman or Arabic numerals, the marker at the 12 position is highlighted in red. The hands are made from blued steel for excellent contrast against the dial. At the 6 position is a date display. At the 9 position is the true seconds register, while at the 3 o’clock position is the chronograph minutes counter.
TAGS: Automatic Watches, Chronographs, Column Wheel, Date, Exhibition Case Back, Haute Horlogerie, Leather, Mechanical Watches, Men's Watches, Rose Gold, Sapphire Crystal, Selfwinding Watches, Single Pushpiece Chronograph, Stainless Steel