Introducing the Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017, a Reissue That Gets It Right

If I had a dollar for every time a brand today tapped its archives for inspiration, I could take the next year off and spend my time on a beach somewhere warmer than it is in New York City (though the Big Apple has been unseasonably warm as of late). Now, if I had another dollar for every time a brand tapped its archives for inspiration, only to then butcher the modern take, I could most certainly extend my tropical vacation another year. Whether it’s an unfortunate scaling up of the case to cater to what at times seem like arbitrary modern sizing standards, or an awkwardly-placed date window because consumers today seemingly must see the date on their wrist, there’s usually something that misses the mark with a vintage-inspired reissue.

But every so often, a brand gets it right. And I don’t mean right enough. I mean they absolutely nail it, down to the smallest detail. And when they do, it’s a breath of fresh air. That’s certainly how we felt when we saw the newly-announced Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017.

As is hinted by the name, this release honors the launch of Longines’ Flagship line, founded in 1957 and celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Longines is releasing three limited versions: one in steel, one in solid yellow gold, and one in solid rose gold. Each of the gold models are limited to 60 units, and steel to 1957.

The watch measures a restrained 38.5mm, a sweet spot for contemporary, vintage-inspired watches, and dressier pieces overall. Unless you have a very large wrist, it’s a size that will absolutely work. Though I am only going off the provided press release photos, the case looks like it has some attractive details, namely the sharp, faceted lugs. Though not visible here, the case back is stamped with a caravel.

The dial then is the star of the show, and as tends to be the case, the devil is in the details. Again, going off the provided photos, there is a lot to like. The dial appears to be domed. It is two-toned—the outer ring is silvered and features concentric brushing, while the innermost section of the dial appears to be a warm, off-white tone. The markers are applied—Arabic numerals at 12, three, six and nine; and beautiful, multi-faceted coffin-shaped indices along the remaining spots. A sub-seconds register above six provides balance to the applied logo at 12, and a faceted dauphine handset tops the whole thing off.

To me, this watch is an absolute winner and I hope other firms take note of what Longines managed with this killer release. It’s not that this is just a well-done reissue; it’s a classic, and classic works.

There is no pricing information as of yet, though the steel variant will surely be the more affordable of the group. Once we get that information, we’ll update this space. For more information, visit Longines.