Longines Flagship Watches

Longines Flagship Watches

What makes a timeless watch? Is it the design of the watch? The way it is manufactured? How about its accuracy and precision? The Longines Flagship collection fuses all of these qualities together, encompassing a wide range of styles, made to fit a variety of wrists. First introduced in 1957, the Longines Flagship collection represented a new vision for the historic brand, which continues to this day.

60th Anniversary Flagship Heritage

In 2017, Longines released a special anniversary edition of the Flagship, named the Longines Flagship Heritage. This beautiful watch is a faithful reinterpretation of the original 1957 version, updated with many modern mechanics. The cream color of the finely finished dial is reminiscent of the light patina you may find on a 60-year-old vintage watch. In addition, the dauphine-shaped hands are pristinely polished. There is one notable change to the modern version of the watch, however: The Longines Flagship Heritage measures in at a more modern 38.5mm in diameter. This works better for the modern style of luxury mechanical watches.

Longines Flagship Hands Glow in the Dark

Many of the watches in the Longines Flagship collection feature thin lines of Super-LumiNova on their elegant dauphine hands. This material glows in the dark, allowing the wearer to easily read the time, even in low light conditions. I am sure you may be thinking to yourself, what is Super-LumiNova? To understand Super-LumiNova, it helps to understand the history of luminous materials used in watches. Around the time of World War I, the use of a luminous material for watches became popular. This first luminous material primarily consisted of radium, a radioactive material. Later, when the dangerous properties of radium were better understood, manufacturers started to switch to safer materials. One unfortunate issue was that these alternative luminous materials did not glow as brightly as the original radioactive radium-based paint. Now, the modern Super-LumiNova luminous material glows even brighter than the original radium-based paint and is completely safe. The next time you glance at the time on our Longines Flagship in a low light condition, you can appreciate the lengthy history of this very useful material.

Longines Flagship Uses Jewels as Bearings

The movement used in many modern Longines Flagship watches is the L615, which is a version of the popular ETA 2895-2 movement. This workhorse movement features 27 jewels. What do those 27 jewels mean for a dependable mechanical watch movement like the L615? Well, when a watch movement advertises its jewels, it doesn’t refer to decorative or precious stones. Instead, these jewels are used as bearings in the movement. For a moment, consider a skateboard and its bearings. They help the skateboard glide smoothly, with just a light push. What would happen if we removed the bearings from the wheels? The skateboard would barely move, and quickly damage itself. The same thing would happen with a mechanical watch. The jewels in a mechanical watch are made from synthetic corundum, which is a very hard material. They are pierced with a central hole on which the gear axles inside the watch rotate. A drop of lubrication makes the resistance from friction very low and allows the watch movement to work smoothly. Jewels in a watch movement, like the Longines L615, are also used for a mechanism called the escapement. In the escapement, power is transferred from the gear train to the balance wheel. Two jewels on the pallet fork make this happen. When you hold a mechanical watch to your ear and hear the tick-tock sound, you are hearing the jewels in action. The Longines L615 movement in the Flagship collection is an incredibly dependable watch, and it deserves a place on your wrist.

Longines Flagship Sizes and Style to Suit Anyone

Longines offers a wide range of watches in its Flagship collection. The men’s version is a respectable 40mm in diameter and is available with a metal bracelet or a leather strap. Dials are available in blue, black, white, gold and a sleek silver. Longines also offers a version of their Flagship model in two tone (gold and silver) colors. This retro style is experiencing somewhat of a comeback in modern wristwatch styles. The women’s version of the Flagship is 26mm in diameter and is also available in wide range of dial colors. The white dial with Roman numerals is particularly elegant, as is the blue version, with silver hour markers.

Longines Flagship Pricing and Availability

The resale market for the Longines Flagship collection is split between the vintage versions and modern versions. The vintage Longines Flagship can be found in the $200-$500 range, depending on condition. The modern version can be found in the $600-$1,000 range. Whichever way you go, it is hard to make a wrong choice with this incredible and historic watch.