Longines, the inventor of the Heritage concept, added a black dial version to its Flagship Heritage model family this year, which gives the right answer to the question “How to make the perfect Re-Issue watch?" once again.
Heritage, Re-Issue, Revival... Now we can see models that include these descriptions in their names in almost every brand from various segments. This concept, fed by human beings' longing for the past, has already become one of the indispensable elements of the watchmaking industry. However, not every model is equally successful. There is no such secret recipe for this success, but when it comes to implementation, Longines stands amongst others.
Longines Flagship Heritage is not a brand new model, but its black dial version is among the brand's 2020 novelties. The model, which successfully combines the design elements of the 1950s, impresses with its retro look and modern material/craftmanship combination.
The model comes in a stainless-steel case measuring 38.50mm (perfect size for the concept) in diameter and 10.30mm in height. The thin bezel and cubic shaped lugs of the fully polished case are among the details that remain true to the original design. A modern and easy to grip winding crown complements the case, but not in a conflicting way with the model's overall retro design. On the front side of the case, there is a high-edged and slightly domed sapphire crystal, mimicking the hesalite crystals of the era. On the rear side of the case, there is a steel case back with the enameled Flagship emblem, which refers to the past models. Considering the price range of the model and the brand’s annual production number (an important detail), we can easily say that the craftsmanship on the case back is excellent. By the way, I am not a big fan of crystal display case backs. If there is no feature and/or decoration in the movement worth showing (as in this Longines), I definitely vote for a solid case back. Therefore, I think Longines made the right choice in this matter as well. The model is water-resistant to only 30 meters. I anticipate that no one will swim with a leather strap dress watch designed in 1950s style. Therefore, I do not consider this as a drawback.
Longines Flagship Heritage comes with a perfectly prepared dial in terms of both color and other details. The dial, designed with a black background, hosts elongated markers and wide Dauphine-style hands. These accents, finished in rose gold tone, are accompanied by the Longines emblem and texts prepared in the same color tone. Although the minute scale is printed closer towards the center of the dial, reminding us of the Pie-Pan style dials that we recall from different brands, the background is, in fact, flat. The small second hand placed at 6 o'clock and the black background date disc reveal the Longines' expertise regarding that recipe I mentioned at the beginning of the article.
The model includes the Caliber L615 movement. The automatic movement, based on the Caliber 2896 movement by ETA that continues its activities under the Swatch Group like Longines, operates at a frequency of 4Hz (28.800vph) and offers 42 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
Longines Flagship Heritage (Ref. L4.795.4.58.0) comes with a calf leather black strap with a crocodile leather pattern and a steel buckle with the Longines emblem. The strap, which is a reasonable choice in terms of the price range in which the model rests, also hosts the only negative side of the model for me with its white stitches that I never like to see on a vintage dress watch. Of course, this is not a significant disadvantage, as it is easy to obtain perfectness with a matte black lizard or alligator strap.
