A review of the Longines Legend Diver. Why does a watch journalist call it "the ideal model"?

Shigeru Sugawara, a journalist who has covered the watch industry for over 30 years, gives his impressions of the new Longines Legend Diver, released in 2024. 17 years have passed since the collection was launched in 2007. Sugawara praises this model as having "reached its ideal form."

A look back at the Longines Legend Diver

I wonder when I first saw the Longines Legend Diver. I'd occasionally spotted it at Baselworld in Switzerland, a frequent visitor for many years, and it always stood out in the background of the star collections, offering a wide variety of models, as a watch with a distinctive character that always remained modest yet made a strong statement. Longines, which values ​​its history and heritage and possesses a vast collection of museum pieces, has also focused on modern reissues inspired by its archives, and the Longines Legend Diver is one of them. I took another look at the original model and the date of its reissue. It first appeared in 1959, so this year marks its 65th anniversary. The reissue model debuted in 2007, marking its 17th year.

17 years have passed since the reissue. Why does the author say that it has "reached the ideal form"?

　The latest 2024 model is probably the best of the several reissues to date. In any case, I felt that my favorite model had finally reached its ideal form after 17 years. Here's why.

　Reason 1: No-date. It's a great move to have a no-date design, just like the original from 1959 and the earliest reissued model in 2007. For the Swatch Group, models equipped with standard ETA automatic movements have long been "guaranteed" to have a date display. Looking back, former Swatch Group heavyweight and Longines boss, von Känel, was adamant that "it must have a date." While I understand the convenience of a date display, I personally feel that a no-date design is more appropriate for a reissue that respects the original vintage-style design, so I consider this decision a remarkable achievement.

　Reason 2: The ETA-based Longines special movement, Cal. L888, takes advantage of the group's unique technological synergy and boasts a monocrystal silicon balance spring, anti-magnetic properties, and a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. Its specifications are significantly improved over previous models, making it perfectly practical for everyday use. Such specifications no longer need to be touted; they have gone from innovation to standard among the group's brands. It's amazing how times have changed. While I didn't measure the daily rate or power reserve in detail during my rental, the watch continued to run accurately even after more than three days of wearing it while out and at a desk after first fully winding it. I also appreciated its quietness, with barely noticeable rotor vibration or rotation.

　Reason 3: The 39mm case is just the right size, being just compact and comfortable on the wrist. The collection also includes regular 42mm and 36mm models that cater to a variety of needs, but for me, 39mm is just the right size, not too big and not too small. From years of trial and error, I've decided that the maximum case size I will wear for a watch is 40mm, so this easily met my personal standards. Also, this model comes with a stainless steel bracelet, which adds weight, but the watch as a whole isn't as heavy as I expected, and I was pleased that I could wear it comfortably and enjoyably while walking.

　Reason 4: Stylish and easy to read. The dial of the borrowed model is lacquered green. The new dials are available in other colors, including terracotta, blue, black, and gray, but the green model was the first to catch my eye when I saw it at the Longines exhibition. Green is no longer a passing trend, but has now become so established that it could almost be called a regular color. I was impressed by how well the green suited the Longines Legend Diver and how it brought out its unique design in a fresh way. In terms of color magic that makes a vintage look stylish, I think green surpasses the classic black or blue. This is because the color is bold and has a special appeal in terms of fashion sense. Even if a watch is water resistant to 300m, if it's intended for everyday use around town rather than diving, it must look stylish. Furthermore, the dial and inner bezel, which occupy the entire face extending to the very edge of the case, are a subdued green, with the numbers, indexes, and hands coated in Swiss Super-LumiNova standing out clearly, making them extremely legible not only in natural light and indoors, but also in the dark.

　Reason 5: It's more than worth it. In terms of price levels in Europe and the US, a price of 526,900 yen puts it in the relatively affordable mid-range price range. When I spoke with a Swiss staff member at Longines, he told me that each brand in the group always strives for the highest performance and quality within its respective price range. The 2024 Longines Legend Diver model is sure to embody that approach. If you're wondering whether you'd want it, the answer is of course yes. For those watch enthusiasts who are intrigued after reading this review, it might be worth giving it a try.

Profile of Shigeru Sugawara

Born in 1954. Watch journalist. In the 1980s, he covered France and Italy for fashion and jewelry magazines. Since the 1990s, he has focused on watches, covering the annual watch fair held in Switzerland for over 25 years. He has written and published numerous articles for watch magazines such as Chronos Japan and general magazines. In his free time, he enjoys running and mountain climbing.