Among the countless retro-styled watches created by Longines – yes, there are a lot, and some are very desirable – one holds a special place in the heart of vintage dive watch enthusiasts, a watch that has been around for more than a decade now: the Legend Diver. Inspired by a 1960s compressor-style model, it returned to the market in 2007 with a no-date display… until it was (sadly) updated with a date. But, something has surfaced recently, something from Poland, something which has to do with our friends at CH24.pl. Yes, the LLD No-Date is back, albeit it in a very limited run of watches for the Polish market. Meet the new Longines Legend Diver No-Date Poland Limited Edition.
The modern Legend Diver is a faithful recreation of a very desirable dive watch created by Longines in the early 1960s, the Ref. 7042. This watch featured an oversized compressor case – with twin-crowns and an internal rotating bezel – as well as a highly recognisable, rather elegant black dial with painted, luminous Arabic numerals and elongated minute markers. During Baselworld 2007, Longines reintroduced this design with the Legend Diver featuring a glossy black dial, a 42mm steel case with 300m water-resistance, the same compressor architecture with internal bezel and, at least for the first years, a no-date display. The look was great, the price was right, the quality beyond reproach. A true success story. The model was later updated with a date window at 3 o’clock, which made the early no-date versions even more desirable.
As you can imagine, there are more than a couple of enthusiasts dreaming of the return of the no-date LLD… And actually, there’s a short launch window opening in front of them because the Longines Legend Diver No-Date is making a comeback. However, it will be in very limited quantities for a restricted market and in precious metal. But even though, it looks stunning.
The Longines Legend Diver No-Date Poland Limited Edition
So here it is, the Longines Legend Diver with a no-date display. With some restrictions, though. But more on that later. What you’re looking at is a limited edition of Longines’ beloved vintage dive watch, which hasn’t changed drastically, except that it now comes with a time-only layout and a luxurious appeal.
The case of this Legend Diver for the Polish market is made of 18k pink gold, entirely polished and shaped like the original stainless steel models. The case retains its proportions at 42mm in diameter and 13.6mm in height. The lugs are still rather long, making the LLD a watch with presence. The right side of the case is still equipped with its signature double-crown – one to wind the movement and adjust the time, the second one to activate the internal rotating bezel. These two crowns have the typical grid pattern for better grip. The caseback is gold, yet it retains the same embossed diver logo as other LLD watches – which is identical to the 1960s versions.
The dial of this Poland Limited Edition retains the glossy black surface and cream-coloured indexes and markers of the steel edition. Logos and fonts are also identical, and although the hands are similarly shaped, they are now gold-coloured to match the case. The dial is protected by a highly domed sapphire crystal. Obviously, the main evolution concerns the display, which gets rid of the date window at 3 o’clock and returns to the time-only style of the 1960s. And that isn’t a small detail.
Inside the case is a modern automatic movement, the calibre L888.2 (ETA A31.L01), an evolution of the classic ETA found on early LLD watches. It now beats at 25,200vph and has a longer power reserve of 64 hours when fully wound.
The Longines Legend Diver Poland Limited Edition is delivered in a large presentation box with two straps. The first one is black rubber, with a period-correct tropic style and closed by a PVD-coated pin buckle. In addition, a grey alligator strap is also included, with its own pin buckle.
Thoughts
To be honest, the idea of a gold dive watch has always sounded weird to me. It is supposed to be instrumental. However, seeing this new gold LLD, with its natural elegance and glossy black dial, I have to admit it looks stunning. The richness of the colours, the contrasts, the ambivalence of the concepts… It all comes together perfectly in my opinion. And, of course, there’s the comeback of the no-date display, which itself could justify you getting your hands on this limited edition. What’s more, at around EUR 9k, it is even fairly priced for a solid gold watch.
Now, this raises the question: will Longines bring back the Legend Diver No-Date in steel in the foreseeable future?
Availability and Price
The Longines Legend Diver No-Date Poland Limited Edition will be produced in only 63 pieces. The examples will be available later this month from selected retailers in Poland, at a price of PLN 41,900 (around EUR 9,200). It might be a good occasion to book a weekend in Warsaw…
Photos by Marcin Klaban for ch24.pl.