Back in the 1920s, Swiss watch manufacture Longines created its first pilot’s watch with a rotating bezel. Then, in the early 1930s, the watchmaker went on to develop a wristwatch with a rotating bezel featuring a luminous index at 12 o’clock. Among other things, pilots principally used this design to calculate flight time. Five years later, Longines received an order from the Czechoslovak Air Force to produce pilot watches equipped with a rotating bezel and luminous index. These watches, which were available in a military and a commercial version, featured the inscription ‘Majetek Vojenske Spravy’ (‘Property of the Military Administration’) on the caseback. The same year as the order was received, Longines patented the pilot’s watch (Ref. 3582) with the rotating bezel in Bern. The Longines Pilot Majetek now being introduced by the brand meets modern-day requirements and features many of the same qualities.
The case of Pilot Majetek
The new Longines Pilot Majetek features a cushion-shaped stainless-steel case with a fluted bidirectional rotating bezel. Meanwhile, the side of the case integrates a commemorative plate reading ’1935’ in honour of the original patent from April 1, 1935. In addition, the plaque conceals the patented ‘Starting Time Indicator’ gear mechanism for the bezel and triangular marker, while still guaranteeing water resistance up to 100 m. Unlike the original, however, Longines’ watchmakers do not interconnect the bezel, sapphire crystal and luminous marker into a single unit. The new design integrates a fixed sapphire crystal over the dial, while the overall case height is 13.25 mm. Although the watch is based on the original design, it has been aesthetically and technically revised. Thus, not only has the case size been increased from 40 mm to 43 mm, but the design and ergonomics have also been adjusted. The cushion-shaped case has been curved, while the lugs have been rounded.
The dial of the Pilot Majetek
In line with classic pilot watches, the new Longines Pilot Majetek showcases a matte black dial. The dial features Arabic numerals coated with ‘Old-Radium’ Super-LumiNova. This luminous coating on the faux vintage numerals glows green at night. Meanwhile, the silver baton hands with rhodium-plated tips and a luminescent coating guarantee round the clock legibility. The oversized small seconds at 6 o’clock, together with the fluted bezel, echo the original character of this pilot’s watch while still keeping things functional. There is no date display on the simplistic dial with railroad minute track, so the time indications are limited to hours, minutes and seconds.
The Movement of the Pilot Majetek
Powering the new Longines Pilot Majetek is the calibre L893.6, a manufacture movement equipped with a magnet-resistant silicon hairspring. This hairspring allows the self-winding timepiece to withstand a magnetic field of up to 600 gauss. In addition, the calibre has a power reserve of 72 hours and beats at a frequency of 3.5 hertz. The watch is also COSC certified.
Price and Availability
Last but not least, the unlimited Longines Pilot Majetek comes with either a green or brown leather strap with cream stitching. Alternatively, owners of the watch can opt for a khaki green NATO strap made of synthetic fibres using recycled materials. The watch is available for 3,950 euros or optionally as a ’Box Edition’ equipped with an extra strap and strap changing tool for 4,050 euros.
From Nadal's ground-breaking RM 27-04 with tourbillon to the handsome RM 029 Le Mans Classic, the male percentile of Richard Mille fans shouldn't find it too hard to pick out a pretty phenomenal sports watch. But what about the women, pipes up a voice at the back of the room? Up until now, this question would be met with silence. Yet times are changing…
Louis Vuitton continues its journey of unrivaled collaborations with independent watchmakers – after the first collaboration with Akrivia in 2023 – by introducing the second creation in its series with Master Watchmaker Kari Voutilainen. Marking a historic union that began in 2002 alongside Louis Vuitton’s groundbreaking Tambour and Voutilainen’s establishment in Saint-Sulpice, Switzerland, the limited…
Oris is introducing a limited edition in the form of a new watch with a deep green dial – the Oris Aquis Hangang Limited Edition. The Oris timepiece is helping to support a Seoul-based project to clean up South Korea’s Hangang River. In order to do this, Oris is pairing up with Seoul KFEM, part…
There has been a lot of speculations lately, whether and when the Saxon watchmakers will venture to introduce their very first sports model. Now, all the waiting, speculating and guessing has come to an end. The ODYSSEUS opens up a new chapter for A. Lange & Söhne, their first regularly produced timepiece in stainless steel.…
The ultra-thin Royal Oak with perpetual calendar, first appearing in 2018 as a prototype with the name RD#2, continues to evolve. This year, it returns with a new dial design and a new material for the case, bezel and bracelet. To ensure that the watch remains one of the thinnest of its kind, the Le…
On the watch fair SIHH 2019 the Swiss luxury watch brand Vacheron Constantin added a new model to its 'Overseas collection'. This new model is very special due to the fact it is the first one to be operated by a self-winding tourbillon movement. The case of the new model Overseas Tourbillon Ref. 6000V/110A-B544 is made of stainless…
This April 2025, Audemars Piguet has unveiled a new ceramic shade that pays homage to the legendary ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ – a shade that first graced the dial of the original Royal Oak in 1972. This new iteration draws its inspiration from the deep, clear night sky of the Vallée de Joux, a region…
The art of enamelling and engraving has been applied by Jaeger-LeCoultre for many years. Now the Swiss label puts this art in a focus with introducing three new models of the Reverso. Therefore the artisans of the brand followed the idea of a model revealing this kind of art on their back. On the front a finely hand-guillochéd dial…
Patek Philippe has developed a broad spectrum of calendar functions, from the simple aperture date to the extremely complex secular perpetual calendar that is preprogrammed into the 28th century. At this years Baselworld 2019, Patek Philippe introduced a new function for calendar watches: the weekly calendar. The Calatrava Weekly Calendar (Ref. 5212A-001) is a semi-integrated mechanism that…
To mark the 175th anniversary of the company A. Lange & Söhne, the company is introducing its "Homage to F.A. Lange" anniversary collection, consisting of the 1815 Thin Honeygold, the Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold and the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold. The latter focuses on the Rattrapante complication, is limited to 100 pieces, and…
At this year's Watches and Wonders, Vacheron Constantin is proving that green remains in favour with the addition of two captivating Overseas models in olive-green and pink-gold. For those who are less about the glamour and more about technical feats, fear not. Vacheron is also introducing a titanium Overseas tourbillon edition into its main collection.…
The best of two spheres: Montblanc presents a new manual-winding Minerva movement Montblanc and Minerva - the shared history of these two traditional brands does not go back very far. Montblanc, the leading Hamburg-based company for the finest writing utensils founded in 1906, only entered the watch business in 1997. This makes it a real…
Swiss manufacturer Hublot is introducing the Hublot Big Bang Integral. For the first time in the 15-year history of the Big Bang, this model features an integrated metal bracelet in which the first link is firmly attached to the case. The new timepiece is available in three versions: Titanium, King Gold or the limited edition…