FOUND: The Longines Heritage 1935 (The Original)
At Baselworld this year, Longines unveiled an array of watches modeled after those significant to the brand’s past. Among this collection was a superlative pilot’s wristwatch with old-world vogue, but a modern mechanism. Longines named this wristwatch The Longines Heritage 1935. They got everything right with this one, down to the smallest barrel and wheel. The Heritage 1935 may be cool, and I’m not saying it isn’t, but what’s cooler is the original Heritage 1935, before it was referred to by the “Heritage 1935” name.
It took Longines close to a decade to fully productize this wristwatch and they did so completely in-house. At the beginning of the Second World War, Longines issued this wristwatch for the first time, not to the public, to the Czechoslovakian air force. With a prodigious steel case accompanied by a deep-black dial and legible Arabic numerals, the wristwatch not only made an ingenious pilot’s tool, but also garnered popularity from the public.
In near-perfect condition, you can purchase this Longines classic for a reasonable $3,650 at Central Watch, one of the most distinguished vintage wristwatch dealers and service centers in Manhattan. Scroll down to “A Miniature Guide To America’s Best Watch Locales” for more information on Central Watch and other fine American watch retailers.
Luke Rottman (Executive Editor: thewatchadviser.com)