Longines Heritage Military

Every so often, a timepiece comes along that just captures your attention. During our recent visit to Bijouterie Dominic in Montreal’s Little Italy, I found such a timepiece. Behold — the Longines Heritage Military. I saw it in the display case on the wall behind the counter. I was about ten feet away from it when it caught my eye. And believe me — it caught my eye! I was allowed to test drive it for a couple of days and here are my impressions.

The Longines Heritage Military is a big watch with big, bold old-school Arabic numerals and this helps it command attention from across the room (or across the counter). This bad boy is inspired by a World War I trench watch. Whereas the WWI watch used a manual movement, the modern Longines is equipped with an automatic movement… and a date. At 44mm, the new Longines has a modern size to complement its modern engine, it is really a tribute to that old watch and not a replica. The visual effect is stunning. This is a very cool watch!

The Heritage Military is inspired by a derived from a 1918 watch from the Longines Museum’s historical collection.

The Longines uses a gorgeous, black alligator strap that reminded me instantly of the Panerai Radiomir. The strap is very wide at the top to fill the lugs and then tapers a bit at the bottom. It is gorgeous and luxurious and is not the only thing that reminds me of Panerai. Step back from the watch for a moment and you will get that sense that you have a large, military-inspired, retro watch with a bold size, commanding wrist presence. That’s Panerai, right? It could be. Or, for one-quarter of the price, you could have this Longines with an MSRP of $2400. Look at the way this Longines sits on my wrist and tell me that isn’t cool.

Longines Heritage Military

Look at the crown. This crown is wicked. It winds with a buttery smooth yet firm motion and it looks amazing. It looks badass, as do the big numerals. This watch really has a macho and menacing attitude. The only thing I don’t like are those cathedral hands, but they really match the numerals. So overall, I don’t mind the hands that much in this context. I could do without the date. However, in keeping the piece a modern tool, it makes sense to have a date window. The date, combined with the automatic movement, make this watch a proper daily office watch. It has a small seconds, hours and minutes and date. This could be a real daily piece for sure.

Longines Heritage Military

As I wore the Longines, I kept tilting my head and admiring the brushed metal at different angles in the light. The brushed metal case looks solid, tough and purposeful. It adds to the overall effect. I loved the way the watch sits on my thick wrists and I had a comfortable position on the strap. For just over two thousand bucks, you will have a hard time finding something cooler and more distinctive than the Longines. I definitely want one for my own collection. Every collector needs an all black timepiece and this one offers retro-cool styling.

Longines Heritage Military

Longines are masters in the bang-for-buck field and they are big in the retro-cool arena too. All of my favourite Longines are from their Heritage collection. Well, the Heritage Military has now made my wish list. I do not like every individual feature of the watch, but as a whole, it makes a great statement on the wrist. Whether you are shopping for your birthday piece or your first mechanical timepiece, the Longines Heritage Military is an accessible and worthy candidate. But check out what else Longines has to offer in their Heritage catalogue. As always, the fun is in the search…

Yours truly,

TimeCaptain

Technical Specifications

Reference number
L2.811.4.53.0/3

Calibre
Automatic winding mechanical movement
Calibre L615.3 (ETA 2895/2)
111/2 lines, 27 jewels, 28’800 alternations per hour
42-hour power reserve

Functions
Hours, minutes, small second and date at 6 o’clock

Case
Round, ⌀ 44 mm, stainless steel

Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with multi-layered anti-reflective coating

Water resistance Up to 3 bar (30 meters)

Dial
Black matte, 12 painted Arabic numerals with Super-LumiNova®

Hands
Rhodium-plated with Super-LumiNova®

Strap
Black alligator with buckle

The Longines Heritage Military is matched with a black alligator strap

Special thanks

This hands-on review was made possible thanks to Bijouterie Dominic.
6810 St Laurent Blvd., Montreal, QC H2S 3C7
Phone: (514) 274-8015