Longines returned to diver's watches in 2007 with the Longines Legend Diver and HydroConquest. Looking back at the company's history, it's clear that the move to diver's watches was inevitable. Let's take a look at the history of Longines Divers through these two unique diver's watches.
The Longines Legend Diver continues to evolve while maintaining its original concept. The latest model features a blue and brown gradient dial. The silicon balance spring and free-sprung balance provide high magnetic and shock resistance. The warranty period has also been extended to five years. Automatic (Cal. L888.5). 21 jewels. 25,200 vph. Power reserve: approximately 72 hours. Stainless steel (diameter 42mm, thickness 12.7mm). Water resistant to 300m. Price: 314,600 yen.
Interview and text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
The History of Longines Divers
Longines has released a variety of masterpieces since its founding in 1832. The company is known for its chronographs and aviation watches, but its diver's watches also have an interesting story to tell.
Longines, which perfected the wristwatch chronograph in the 1930s, was one of the first to develop a waterproof case for the chronograph. Since then, the company has significantly improved the practicality of military watches by adopting waterproof cases from brands like Borel. It was only natural that Longines would then turn its attention to developing a diver's watch for the general public.
The company developed a waterproof case together with Swiss case maker Erwin Piquelet and released the first full-fledged diver's watch in 58. Compared to other companies, it wasn't the first to start making diver's watches, but it may have had the greatest influence on the watch industry.
Piquere returned to manufacturing watch parts in 1939 and, in the 1950s, began developing unique waterproof cases. Their first product was the "Compressor Case," patented in 1955. Under high water pressure, the seals and metal gaskets compress to maintain water resistance. This low-cost yet highly waterproof compressor case later evolved into the "Compressor II" and "Super Compressor" cases, ushering in a boom in diver's watches in the 1960s. Without Piquere's compressor case, the history of diver's watches from IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hamilton, and others would likely have been entirely different. Longines, however, had a major influence on the compressor case. This is evident in the engraving on the case back. Almost all compressor cases made in the 1960s and 1970s bear the Piquere logo and patent number. Longines' cases, however, only bear the patent number. For Piquel, Longines was in a class of its own.
When reading descriptions of other companies' diver's watches, you often see statements that they "adopted" the Piquelé case. In contrast, Longines' documents state that "(the diver's watch case) was developed in collaboration with Piquelé." While Piquelé patented the compressor case, it's natural to assume that Longines, a major manufacturer, lent a hand in mass production and refinement. At the very least, the fact that the established Saint-Imier company adopted the compressor case must have been more than enough of a "seal of approval" for Piquelé, a new case manufacturer.
The Longines diver's watch of 58 was an early attempt at using a compressor case, and it is highly likely that it was the first. This was a basic watch with an outer rotating bezel, but the following year, in 59, it was replaced by the more complex Super Compressor case, which offered improved airtightness. This waterproof case with two crowns and an inner rotating bezel, which later became the symbol of the compressor, was first adopted in the Longines diver's watch of 59. Considering this, if Longines had not made a diver's watch, the history of Swiss waterproof watches would have been very different. This is why I wrote at the beginning that it "may have had the greatest influence on the watch industry."
The Ref. 7042, released in 1959, was a model that defined not only Longines but also the future of diver's watches in the 1960s. Four years later, it evolved into its successor, the Ref. 7494. While the appearance was nearly identical, its practicality was improved by increasing the movement's frequency and water resistance.
The Longines Legend Diver, released in 2007, is a model that recreates classic divers based on the Ref. 7494. The domed crystal, the diver design engraved on the case back, and the two large crowns are all the same as the original. However, the case back has been changed to a standard screw-down type, the crystal has been changed from plastic to sapphire crystal, and the water resistance has been improved from 200m to 300m.
