Longines is presenting a variation of the Avigation BigEye launched in 2017. Unlike its predecessor, the new model is housed in a titanium case and presents itself with a petrol blue dial. The Longines Avigation BigEye is equipped with a silicon hairspring and a column-wheel chronograph. The brand vouches for the reliability of the new timepiece with a 5-year guarantee.
Case & Materials
The Longines Avigation BigEye appears for the first time with a titanium case that measures 41 mm. The design is based on pilot’s chronographs from the 1930s. Meanwhile, a sapphire box glass with multiple layers of anti-reflective coatings protects the dial. An engraving with an aviator motif and brand lettering adorns the case back. The watch is also water-resistant to 3 bar or 30 metres.
Petrol blue Dial
The grained dial with petrol blue dégradé effect features the large numerals and hands typical of pilot watches. The Super-LumiNova coating ensures optimal readability even at night. The oversized 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock gives the watch its name, BigEye. There is also a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock and a small seconds hand at 9 o’clock. However, a date window is not present.
The movement inside the Longines Avigation BigEye
Longines equips the new model with the calibre L688, which is based on the ETA A08.L01. The chronograph movement has automatic winding and a power reserve of 54 hours. It also integrates 27 rubies and ticks at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Also noteworthy is the silicon hairspring, which ensures increased precision and protects against magnetism. The chronograph features a column wheel as well as a vertical clutch.
The Longines Avigation BigEye comes on a natural brown leather strap with a vintage look and is secured with a titanium buckle. The new model with titanium case complements the steel version with the black dial and comes with a five-year warranty. The watch is available now at a price of 3,210 euros.
While the production of mechanical watches is certainly a challenge in itself, the same can also be said for the timepieces’ after-sales servicing down the line. After all, although a manufacturer is responsible for quality during production, it is often difficult to control who tampers with a watch in need of repair or maintenance later…
Hublot presents the Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A by Samuel Ross in a new colourway. The watch was unveiled during Miami Art Week and is the result of the collaboration with the artist and designer Samuel Ross. The timepiece features a 44 mm carbon case with a honeycomb pattern and a sapphire crystal dial. The…
Audemars Piguet has unveiled the Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon in sand gold. This watch, featuring a 38mm case, marks the first time the brand offers the complication in this diameter. It showcases the ultra-thin Calibre 2968 (RD#3) movement, which was introduced in 2022 in small Royal Oak models. The watch is crafted from 18-carat…
The Club Campus is the entry-level watch model from Nomos Glashütte. Now, the brand has introduced two new models in the colours Night Sky and Starlight. With a robust design, a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals on the dial, and the hand-wound Alpha calibre, these models are available in two sizes and offer a…
At this year's Watches & Wonders 2020, Swiss watchmaker Roger Dubuis introduces a brand new Excalibur watch – the Excalibur Diabolus in Machina. Unusually, the 45 mm watch's case and caseback are made with the alloy CarTech Micro-Melt BioDur CCMTM. Meanwhile, the skeletonised timepiece's functions include a minute repeater and a single flying tourbillon. The…
With the Pelagos FXD GMT, Tudor expands its FXD line of watches to include a model designed for the Aéronautique Navale, the French Naval Aviation. The watch was developed to meet the specific needs of aviators and features a GMT function that displays Zulu time, the standard reference time in global aviation. This watch is…
Breitling continues its '140 Years of Firsts' celebration with the debut of its first exclusive perpetual calendar chronograph movement, Caliber B19. To mark this milestone, Breitling has released limited 140th-anniversary editions of three flagship models: the Premier, Navitimer, and Chronomat. Each timepiece is equipped with the sophisticated Caliber B19, promising nearly a century of precision…
The Zenith Calibre 135 Observatoire Limited Edition is the result of a collaboration between Zenith, watchmaker Kari Voutilainen and Phillips with Bacs & Russo. The small edition celebrates the manufacture's success in chronometer competitions held in the last century. Indeed, the in-house Calibre 135-O won the most awards in the history of watchmaking. For this…
With the Oris Okavango Air Rescue Limited Edition, the Hölstein-based company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Botswanian air ambulance organisation Okavango Air Rescue (O.A.R). They operate helicopters and aeroplanes as well as a clinic to provide medical care to the population. The watch is a variant of the Big Crown ProPilot but has…
Breitling celebrates American automotive culture with the Top Time Classic Cars Capsule collection. For this purpose, the Swiss company is presenting three chronographs, each inspired by a classic racing car from the 1960s. They appear with eye-catching dials that are intended to capture the feeling of freedom and joy of life that emanates from the…
Calendar complications are deeply rooted in Audemars Piguet watchmaking and began their uninterrupted history in the Vallé de Joux. There, Audemars Piguet's two founders developed Jules Louis Audemars' watch, which combined a perpetual calendar with a quarter-hour repeater, several times over. However, in the company's first two decades, calendar complications accounted for less than 10%…
The Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer is a dress watch limited to 50 pieces that puts the historical relic of the officer-type case cover in the spotlight. Indeed, the watch has a hinged back that reveals the mechanics at the push of a button. True to the old school, the watchmakers not only decorate the…
Löbner presents its first three-hand watch, the Sledge Automatic, featuring an innovative timekeeping mechanism. The watch is equipped with a rotatable bezel that enables minute-precise adjustments to the minute scale on the dial. This function is akin to the inner rotating bezels commonly found in diver’s watches but eliminates the need for a secondary crown.…