The new Baselworld 2018 Longines Longines Legend Diver in black PVD takes its cues from the 2007 re-issue Longines Legend Diver

Longines, a brand noted for its wealth of heritage and provenance has often released a myriad of historically inspired pieces for its Heritage Collection but for Baselworld 2018, they have opted to deliver a new vision of an old legend – a modern, manifestly elegant new Longines Black PVD Longines Legend Diver.

An iconic watch in the Swiss watchmaker’s Heritage line, the new Baselworld 2018 Longines Longines Legend Diver in black PVD takes its cues from the 2007 re-issue Longines Legend Diver. It is legendary 1960s diving watch re-imagined, the vintage reference 7042 with a never before seen case designed, constructed and patented by casemaker Ervin Piquerez with according to his vaunted 300 metre deep diving Super Compressor principle. This latest black Longines Legend Diver is also the first time the brand has given a watch the full PVD treatment.

Baselworld 2018: Longines Black PVD Longines Legend Diver

Many of the vintage, period authentic design codes from the era remain, updated only in two areas – a consumer important date complication and a symbol of stylistic modernity, black PVD coating which takes the classic elegance of what might otherwise simply look retro but for Baselworld 2018, the black Longines Legend Diver simply looks gorgeously post-modern and deeply refined.

Baselworld 2018: Longines Black PVD Longines Legend Diver

Returning features include the Longines Legend Diver’s iconic twin screw-down crowns — one for winding the watch and the other for operating the internal rotating divers’ bezel and also a screw-down caseback to ensure a professional-grade water resistance of 300 meters. The inner rotating bezel can also be locked in place via crown, a small advantage over uni-directional external bezels on other diving watches, ensuring that a diver can calculate the length of his underwater adventure. The black lacquered dial of the new Longines Legend Diver is dressed with highly legible Super-LumiNova in elements like the indexes, numerals, and rhodium-plated hands with date window in 3 o’clock position.

Longines’ latest Baselworld 2018 novelty is not just superficially updated. The new black Legend Diver also receives a technical upgrade. Gone is the Calibre L633 from the stainless steel edition and in its place a modified ETA A31.L01, otherwise known as the automatic Calibre L888.2 with 64 hour power reserve, almost double that of the previous 38 hours power reserve. While the previous steel edition of the Legend Diver came with a gorgeous milanese bracelet, the black rubber strap paired with the Baselworld 2018 Longines Legend Diver replicates the look and feel of the Milanese mesh but naturally, its really just stamped rubber. That said, the buckle is also new to the famed divers watch, a new double security folding clasp made of titanium, with an integrated divers’ extension comes standard with the new black Longines Legend Diver.

New Black Longines Legend Diver Price and Specs

Movement Automatic Calibre L888.2 with 64 hour power reserve
Case 42 mm black PVD steel case with 300 metres water resistance
Strap Rubber
Price SG$4070