Feature: This Longines Is The BIGGEST Chronograph Bargain Right Now!

Way before the arrival of such icons as the Rolex Daytona, the TAG Heuer Monaco and the Omega Speedmaster, Longines lorded it over the chronograph universe. From the 1930s to the 1950s, they released a number of luxury watches run on movements that are now rightly regarded as some of the most reliable ever made. And they had to be, as Longines’ watches were often relied on to time major sporting events, from the Olympics to motor-racing to numerous equine competitions.

Mention legendary high-precision calibres like the 13 ZN and the later 30 CH to chronograph connoisseurs and watch them go misty-eyed and weak at the knees. Movements aside, those watches also looked rather gorgeous, with their stepped steel cases and mushroom pushers.

After making it through the quartz crisis and getting bought by the Swatch Group, Longines lost a little of its cachet in the industry, and for a decade or so it was just another run-of-the-mill Swiss manufacturer that relied on movements sourced from ETA.

Recently however it has become renowned for re-issuing old models from its substantial back catalogue, winning over a new generation of fans. The brand still relies on ETA for its movements but, thanks to the fact that ETA is also owned by the Swatch Group, it has benefitted from being able to use some movements that have been made for them exclusively.

One of those is the Avigation BigEye chronograph, and it happens to be an absolute steal at the RRP of £3,180. Here’s why…

Perfectly Modernised

Those Longines chronographs from the first half of the 20th century were handsome pieces, no doubt about it. But looking at them now, they seem almost wearyingly familiar, a little aesthetically stale perhaps—not that it’s Longines fault that they’ve been copied more than David Beckham’s latest haircut.

The Avigation BigEye's gradient petroleum-blue dial is a thing of beauty

So kudos to the brand for making this stunning chronograph that combines the best of old and new, helping it stand out in a competitive field. Longines has achieved this with a number of factors, including the petroleum-blue gradient dial, which shifts almost imperceptibly from a peripheral black to an attention-grabbing grainy blue.

The Arabic numerals—in a very legible font that was widespread in the 1930s and 1940s—and pencil hands are coated in a yellowing, pre-aged Super-LumiNova for an enhanced vintage vibe. And then there’s the oversized 30-minute subdial at 3 o’clock, significantly bigger than the other two, which is why it’s called the BigEye.

For every person that dislikes asymmetric dials, there’ll be a few who’ll enjoy this aesthetic quirk. As for the case, it isn’t very vintage at 41mm and the case is hi-tech titanium, but it gets retro bonus points for those mushroom pushers and there’s a nod to the brand’s rich aviation heritage thanks to the engraved case back, which features the outline of an aeroplane set within a very cool sunburst-pattern circle.

The Movement

Longines have used their exclusive, ETA-developed automatic L688 calibre for this watch, the finest currently at their disposal, and notable for the use of a vertical clutch.

We’ll leave other websites to go into soporific explanations about the advantages of this feature; for brevity’s sake, let’s just say it lessens wear and tear on all those sharp-toothed cogs and is something found in the Rolex Daytona’s calibre 4130, among other big-hitters.

Inside that engraved case back is a serious chronograph movement

Like the Daytona, it’s also a column-wheel chronograph rather than the cam-actuated kind, the former generally regarded as the more technically accomplished, smoother to use and found in the majority of high-end chronographs.

Value For Money

It’s worth comparing the Avigation Big Eye to similar chronographs in a titanium case.

Zenith’s Defy El Primero 21 costs around £10,500, while Porsche Design sell a limited-edition model, albeit with the addition of a date, for £3,435. Virtually any Hublot chronograph in titanium will sell in the region of £10k.

This is a watch that gives its chronograph rivals a run for their money

And then there’s the aforementioned Daytona, a steel version of which will probably set you back a minimum £30k these days since even spotting one brand-new in the window of an authorised Rolex dealer is as rare as a Loch Ness Monster sighting.

A brand-new TAG Heuer Monaco? You’re looking at £5K, and the cheapest Speedmaster is also in that ball-park, unless you buy pre-owned.

Which is why anyone in the hunt for a good-looking chronograph that can compete with some of the industry’s long-established icons should take a serious look at the Longines Avigation BigEye.

For a little over £3,000, you get a solid watch brand that’s been around for longer than all of the above, a devastatingly good-looking dial that’s basically the David Gandy of watch faces, plus some impressive movement specs that can hold their own with the best of them.

You could be looking at a future classic…

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