Hands-On Longines Legend Diver in Black Ref. L3.774.2.50.9

If there’s one modern Longines that left me with a huge impression, it is the Longines Legend Diver. Preferably the version without date, but CEO Walter von Känel decided otherwise a few years ago and discontinued the non-date model. This year, Longines added some variation to the Legend Diver, with this all black version. Meet the Longines Legend Diver in Black.

This Longines Legend Diver in Black (reference L3.774.2.50.9) is just like the other Legend Divers, part of the heritage collection. A collection that is only a small portion of Longines annual production of an estimated 1.3 million pieces. A huge number, but the number of different references from Longines is also quite impressive. The heritage collection is mainly aimed at enthusiasts and collectors, that’s one of the reasons why our Longines coverage is mainly based on those watches.

Longines Legend Diver in Black

Respecting its heritage, Longines used the 42mm super compressor case as before. But now, with a black coating using PVD technique. Some claim that PVD is not as ‘tough’ as DLC or easily scratches, but that all depends on the base material and how it has been finished. The case of the Longines Legend Diver in Black is made of steel. At first sight, the strap looks like a bracelet, but it is actually a rubber strap with a mesh motif. A very comfortable rubber strap with a PVD coated folding clasp. The folding clasp is made of titanium. That said, I think the Longines Legend Diver in Black would look awesome on a NATO strap in olive green or anthracite, and I am not even a NATO guy. I just feel it will give the watch a bit more punch.

If you take a look at the dial side, you will notice that the inner diving bezel with 60-minute scale and centre dial almost look like one dial. A second glance will show the different layers. As you can see on the images that Bert took, the minute markers, hour markers and other prints have this vintage yellow-brownish colour. The Super-LumiNova ensures that you can read the time (and diving bezel) in low-light conditions. Polished silver coloured hands give enough contrast on the black dial that time is easy to read. The dial is covered with a domed sapphire crystal, of course. The screw-down case back and two screw-in crowns, one for winding and setting and the other one for the internal diving bezel, ensure that the watch is water resistant to 30 ATM (~300M).

The Longines Legend Diver in Black uses the Longines calibre L888.2 movement, which is based on the ETA A31.L01 movement. This movement ticks at 25,200vph, which is a rather unusual frequency, but Omega’s Co-Axial calibres also use this speed for example. The movement has a power reserve of 64 hours. This ETA A31.L01 is based on the well-known and much praised ETA 2892-A2 movement that you’re most probably familiar with. They slowed down the beat rate of this movement, and extended the power reserve. This ETA A31.L01 is exclusively manufactured and produced for Longines, to be used as their L888.2 movement. Since 1984 or so, Longines doesn’t produce movements in-house anymore and everything is being supplied by ETA (that just like Longines also belongs to Swatch Group). Although Longines is pretty clear (read our interview with CEO Walter von Känel here) that they don’t aim to become a manufacturer of movements again, but rather focus on being able to offer affordable (mechanical) watches, it is quite interesting that they do seem to shift towards the use of movements exclusively produced for them. Their introduction of the VHP movements and the chronometer certified Record collection also shows that Longines feels it has become more important for the consumer that a movement should be something special.

Although I am not a fan of all black watches, some are really worth taking into consideration. My first watch that had a black case was the Sinn 142 St.S with Lemania 5100 movement, in the end, I regretted to sell it, but I also feel I would have kept it when it was the normal stainless steel version. The Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon is always on my wishlist, but every time I saved up for one, a Moonwatch variation popped up that I wanted more. Not too long ago I bought the Seiko SRPC49K1, which is the black version of the turtle diver, which I wear on a regular basis. Although you might not agree with me, I am still of the opinion that I am not sure whether black coated watches – or ceramic watches – are forever. Of course, they don’t have to be forever, but when you spend a few thousands, I always ask myself if I will still fancy this watch in a few years from now. The Longines Legend Diver in Black is one of those watches that is priced seriously enough that I would ask myself this question, but on the other hand, the design is based on such a classic (Super Compressor) diver model, that the coating doesn’t really influence its timelessness. If that makes sense to you. Of course, there’s always the stainless steel model of this watch in the collection. As written above, I think I’d wear the Longines Legend Diver in Black on an olive green NATO, for example, to make it a bit more colourful.

That said the Longines Legend Diver in Black ref. L3.774.2.50.9 offers a lot of bang for the buck. A classically designed divers watch with a WR of 300 meters and a very solid automatic movement. The retail price will be €2.360 ($2700USD) and the watch will be delivered after the Summer. A pity, as this watch would be a nice companion for a nice holiday at the sea (or pool).

For more information, visit Longines online.

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Weekend Round-Up: Thirty-Six Hours In Napa, Interviews With The Oldest Americans, And The Challenges Of Automotive UX

36 Hours In Napa Valley – The New York Times

For many, 36 hours in the Napa Valley isn’t going to be enough, but I’m of the view that – spent correctly – a day and a half more than lets you scratch the food-and-wine itch when tacked on to a trip to San Francisco or Marin. I’ve been to a number of the wineries and restaurants on this list and can vouch for them. The French Laundry and the Restaurant at Meadowood are rightly regarded as legendary, but be sure not to miss the small-plate food and wine pairings of B Cellars and the artful decor of Stewart Cellars. Two places I’d add to this fine list are the recently opened Promontory, a new venture from the family behind Harlan Estate, and Kenzo Estate, a fastidiously Japanese take on California winemaking.

– Jon Bues, Senior Editor

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On the Wrist: Review of the Farer Manual Wind 37mm Lansdell

Farer [ˈfa(a)rə(r)] means traveler. Used especially in combinations like seafarer and wayfarer, however, it’s the name of a young watch brand as well. Entering the market with a three hand watch, only back in 2016, Farer meanwhile offers a nice line of 4 different models.

Following the three-handed watches, a GMT watch was introduced in 2017 (read about it here), which was followed in the same year by a compressor styled dive-watch (our review can be found here). The most recently introduced model is the Farer Manual Wind 37mm, from which we’re reviewing the Lansdell variation now.

Farer Manual Wind 37mm Lansdell

It’s interesting to see how form and thickness of a watch can influence the perception of size. With ‘only’ 37mm the Farer would generally be considered a rather small watch. However, it doesn’t show that way.

The Farer Manual Wind 37mm on the wrist

Manual wind movements have the advantage of being thinner than automatics, and this Farer certainly ‘advantages’ from that. Together with its nice cushion (almost round but it isn’t) shape its size is very balanced compared to the thickness.

A colourful and attractive dial

Farer made a name with colourful dials, and the Manual Wind 37mm Lansdell we’re reviewing is no exception. The two-coloured dial attracts immediate, and positive, attention. A nice detail is that the green segments in the dial compliment the light greenish super-luminova indexes. They seem to become part of each other.

The less colourful silver rest of the dial has beautiful sunburst lines in its centre part. The plain silver outer ring of the dial contains a red minute track with light-blue dots and black printed minute-numerals. A plain silver seconds sub-dial sports the opposite. Blue numerals and a black painted track, while a red second-hand tops this sub-dial off.

While the Farer brand name has been printed in the dial, the brand’s logo, a styled arrow, is nicely applied. The crown is another place were this styled arrow beautifully appears in which looks like a bronze inlay.

A bronze inlay with the brand’s styled arrow

Due to its sleek design, and of course its size as well, the Farer Manual Wind 37mm is a very comfortable wearer. Something else which adds to that is the soft leather strap. it wears comfortably and has adjustment holes quite close to each other so that one always finds the right fit. The watch tends to turn on the wrist easily when worn loose. However, due to the flexible strap with high adjustability, it can be worn perfectly sized and comfortable.

What about the brand name?

Coming back to the brand name in the dial, we mentioned that it’s signed ‘Farer Universal’. It’s printed like this in the dials of all other Farer models as well, however, I couldn’t find anything like it on any of the brand’s other name expressions. Not on the website, not on the booklets, nor the packaging. Nowhere else the addition of ‘Universal’ is used. So, for now, it remains a slight puzzle to us however we’re sure this will soon be cleared.

ETA/Peseux 7001 manual wind movement

A glass back in the Farer Manual Wind 37mm Lansdell reveals an ETA/Peseux 7001 movement. Not the most exciting of them all probably, however extremely reliable and in the Farer at least it’s nicely finished. The case back isn’t completely filled up with the movement. There’s enough room on the outer edge to engrave all kinds of information. We’ll find the type- and unique serial number, pressure rating, type of crystal, and additional information on the materials used and where the design comes from.

The Farer Manual Wind 37mm ETA/Peseux 7001 movement

The ETA/Peseux 7001 is a small but powerful slim movement with a 2.5mm height and 23.3mm diameter. In the Farer Manual Wind 37mm, it sports blue screws, has 17 jewels, a Nivaflex barrel spring, an Anachron hairspring, and an Incabloc shock system. The movement operates at 21,600 bph hour (3 Hz) and has 42 hours of power reserve when fully wound. While adjusted in three positions it should have an accuracy tolerance better than +/-12 seconds/day.

British Design x Swiss Made

Farer obviously and understandably is proud about their watch designs. Inspired by a time when bold colours and contrasting textures were combined with the best craftsmanship. Produced are their watches in Switzerland, by a company named Roventa-Henex (since 1959), based in Bienne.

One way or the other the Farer Manual Wind 37mm Lansdell somewhat reminds me of Nomos when they started at the beginning of the nineties. Nomos more towards minimalism, Farer breathing the halcyon era of British watchmaking. But both producing nice slick handsome hand winding watches now, simple and accessible. Nomos started at that time in more or less the same price league as well. And look at where they’ve arrived now.

The two-layer Farer Manual Wind 37mm box, containing the booklet and certificate

Farer watches are presented in an adequate black wooden box. Made in a two-layer design, the first containing the watch and the second containing the booklet, certificate and polishing cloth. Very professional and convenient. The watches are sold online at Farer’s website here, their prices are always including shipping.

The Farer Manual Wind 37mm Lansdell watch retails for €1,075 Euro.

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Hands-On: The Rolex Everose GMT Master II Vs. The GMT Master II In Oystersteel And Everose Gold

If, like me, you’re old enough to remember when “Tu-Tone” was an acceptable ad-copy variation on two-tone, the idea of a gold and steel watch can seem a little challenging. A gold and steel Datejust carried with it a little bit of a stigma in quote serious unquote watch circles for a while; there was a persistent notion that such a watch would be most likely to be worn by someone who wanted something a bit flashy but couldn’t afford the upcharge for a solid gold watch – a wannabe, to put it uncharitably. With the passage of time, however, there has been an increasing appreciation for the unique charms of a mixture of one of the most practical of metals with one of the most precious, and two-tone watches are making something of a comeback both in vintage collecting circles, and in the collections of modern watch brands. Rolex has long embraced the two-tone watch as an independent design statement – after all, this is the company that coined its own in-house term for two-tone watches all the way back in the 1930s (Rolesor). 

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Armand Nicolet JS9 | Hands On Watch Review

Armand Nicolet JS9

Every once in a while, I get a watch in for review that really stands out in terms of build quality and finishes. This time, that watch is the Armand Nicolet JS9. While it is not without a few quirks, the quality of this watch matches up with the price tag, which happens to be around $1700 USD. There is no doubt that in that price range there is some heavy competition, but the JS9 can hold its own in my opinion. There is only one real problem, and that is I do not consider it to be a “true” dive watch, and that is what we will talk about here in this review, as well as some of its finer attributes.

Armand Nicolet JS9 Specifications:

• 44m Stainless Steel Case
• 13mm Thick.
• 52mm Lug to Lug
• 24mm Lug Width
• Sapphire Crystal
• Ceramic Bezel Insert
• Screw Down Crown
• 300 Meters Water Resistant
• Caliber AN2846-9

Price $1700 MSRP

http://www.armandnicolet.com/collections/js9-2/date/watch-a480agn-nr-ma4480aa/

The Armand Nicolet JS9 is one of the latest releases from the Swiss company and I love almost everything about it. The construction is just solid. The bracelet and end links are a dream to take on and off for strap changes, the crown and bezel are easy to operate with a good sturdy feel and it features an engraved case back that is highly detailed and fun to look at and photograph. Running a Calibre AN2846-9 (base ETA 2846) with a 48-hour power reserve, it has a respectable movement and is marked at 300 Meters Water Resistant.

Unfortuanlty, for the dive watch aficionados, this is not a true dive watch.  That is because the Armand Nicolet JS9 lacks a few features that keep it from getting that designation-No dive lock clasp, no lume on the 60 min triangle and no fully indexed bezel. That last one is debatable, but to be ISO compliant nowadays, a fully indexed bezel has to be included. Forgetting that though, the fact they did a dual deployant and no lume pip in the ceramic bezel insert made me really scratch my head. Here is this great looking watch with a nice ratcheting bezel and a solid screw down crown and a high water resistance on top of it, and they leave out some of the most important features to go diving in the ocean with it. Maybe AN just figured most people who are buying these do not actually dive with it, but even still, would it have really killed the budget if you put on a good dive clasp and added lume to the bezel pip?

Obviously, I found a few faults with the Armand Nicolet JS9 in that regard, but let’s turn the table and look at the good. It is a great looking watch, at least to me. The dial texture is a nice change, the hands are not only aesthetically pleasing but large and easy to see and have a nice satin brushing that makes them pop against the dial. I really love the rectangle applied markers as well and how they alternated the orientation of them at 12,3,6 and 9. As you can see in the photo above, the lume is very bright and evenly coated as well. It has all that I want in a dive watch dial; clean, bright, good contrast and easy readability.

The think profile is something else we do not always get with a 300 Meter dive style watch, yet the Armand Nicolet JS9 has that as well. At 13mm thick (which includes the slightly domed sapphire crystal), this is not your typical big, bulky dive watch. This allows it to sit nicely on the wrist and with that nice solid bracelet, it really does wrap around. I did have one issue with the bracelet though. The screw bar system that holds the links in place is perfect, but the bracelet out of the box only included one-half link. Anytime I  have a watch with a dual deployant clasp, I need two half links, one on each side of the clasp. This allows me to get a perfect fit. After trying it out for a few days with one link removed and half link in, it was too tight on my wrist. I emailed AN and asked them to send me another half link. I took out one full link and added the half, and now I had a perfect fit. I just wish the bracelet came stock like this.

There is A LOT to like about the Armand Nicolet JS9, and even some things I love. The biggest issue is that if you are looking for a serious dive watch, this is not it. If that does not matter to you and you are only going to be hopping in the pool or lake with it, then it should be fine. I feel they were going more for looks and style, and they gave us that in spades, and realistically there is nothing wrong with that. This watch is by no means in the budget category, but the quality and build are where it should be for the price, if not above. Nothing on the JS9 feels cheap or sub-par. It also comes in a few good other color options and there are rubber strap versions as well as full DLC variations to boot. Armand Nicolet is a still a privately run company and a small one as well, with about 20 employees. This is the second watch I have reviewed from them, and they make a good, solid watch. Maybe not a true dive watch, but a stylish well-built diver style watch nonetheless.

 

 

 

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Summer Special: 60’s Vintage Diver Shootout Part 1

Ah summertime, it’s finally officially here despite the fact that it’s been seriously hot throughout most of northern Europe for the last couple of months. With Summer comes vacations and that means that most of us will make our way towards the beach or at least a refreshing pool. And what watch to wear? The natural response is a dive watch, that casual genre of timepiece that can handle the water just as easily as the condensation dripping from the glass of a poolside cocktail. But let’s say you’re a real vintage nut and the thought of wearing the same newer (read: watertight) diver for 1,2 or 3 weeks in a row sounds mundane, then we have some suggestions. In today’s article, we’ll head back 50 or so years, so apologies up front, they won’t be cheap. But, hey, no one spends money like when they’re on vacation. Welcome to the 60’s vintage diver shootout featuring Rolex, Omega, Seiko and Doxa, a two-part article focused, first, on the facts and, second, on our thoughts about these fantastic watches.

We’ve discussed the 60’s as the golden era for scuba diving and the fact that the pastime became more widespread. There were scads of brands getting into the act of making some sort of dive-ready watch and looking back, some were more of an act than others. Many brands didn’t survive and some now look comically unsafe to trust while trying to time a dive. Of course, there were various levels of dive watch, but today’s 60’s vintage diver shootout focuses on pieces more apt for the professional, or at least meant for someone who planned to use them frequently under the surface. And since these are all classic collectibles, it’s now acceptable for them to betray their tool intentions and to show up under a long-sleeved shirt. Of course, wearing them with your favorite Hawaiian shirt will work as well.

The Contenders

For our 60’s vintage diver shootout, I chose four watches that, for me, define the look of divers from the middle to later part of the decade. Two are obvious choices while the remaining two are a bit more eccentric. More frankly, the choices of a Rolex and an Omega are straightforward: the selection of a Seiko and a Doxa perhaps less so. Up until a couple years ago, the Seiko and Doxa would have been valeting cars at a party held by Rolex and Omega, but time and deeper interest in these brands have served to change opinion. Plus, and this goes for all brands, it helps that all of these watches have a modern counterpart. Let’s meet the contenders .

The Doxa SUB 300 Searambler

If you read Fratello Watches somewhat regularly, then you’re no stranger to the Doxa SUB. It’s a watch that makes perfect sense for our 60’s vintage diver shootout because it was groundbreaking for its time design-wise, in its functionality, and the fact that one Jacques Cousteau had some involvement with the brand (ok, he was involved with almost every brand). Doxa was a key contributor to the helium release valve (HRV) invention alongside Rolex and their introduction of an orange-dialed diver shook up the establishment. For today’s comparison, we have the earliest of the SUBs and that’s a so-called “No T” dial with a skinny case. This lovely piece was made for exactly one year, 1966, before it was replaced with a similar but less svelte design. Doxa made the aforementioned orange dial version, the Professional, a black variant, the Sharkhunter, and this silver edition, the Searambler.

This Searambler has been through its paces and may be familiar to some who are active on Instagram. Even though I acquired it somewhat recently, I passed on buying this very watch almost three(!!) years ago. The main hands have been relumed, I touched up the orange bits on the bezel, the crystal and crown aren’t original and someone saw fit to polish the case nicely but wrongly – there shouldn’t be any sunburst finishing or a beveled edge.

Furthermore, the case back appears if someone ran a reamer around the logo and, thus, the serial number is gone. Yikes! Normally, I’d run, not walk, away from a watch with these flaws, but they’re very hard to find in original condition as so many were worn for their intended purpose. It’s a survivor and now it’s my survivor.

Specs:

• 5mm diameter stainless case, 44.5mm lug to lug, 20mm lug width, 12.5mm thickness
• 300M water resistance, acrylic crystal
• Doxa 118 caliber (ETA 2472) automatic, non-hacking, 21J, 18,000 bph, 42-hour power reserve. Non-quickset date, but toggling between 10:30pm and 12:00 changes the date.
• Current day alternatives: any current Doxa SUB or the 2016 50^th Anniversary limited pieces (sold out, but available on the market) or the 2017 Limited Edition Black Lung (also, sold out)

The Omega Seamaster 300 166.024

Next up in our 60’s vintage diver shootout is the legendary 2^nd generation Omega Seamaster 300 reference 166.024. This model was introduced in 1967 with its “big triangle” at 12:00. It was made until roughly 1970 while this example dates to 1968. This is a highly collectible watch that’s a real bear to find in original condition. Variants with and without date (165.024) exist with differing hands, dials and crowns throughout the production run.

The piece you see here is in nice shape, but I’d guess that the “big triangle” saw a bit of a touch-up a long time ago. Everything on this watch irradiates evenly under a black light and fades out at the same time, so perhaps tritium was used if it was altered. Also, the light background date wheel was in question, but Omega brochures show that this variant was made at some point.

Specs:

• 42mm diameter stainless case, 47.5mm lug to lug, 20mm lug width, 14.5mm thickness
• 200M water resistance, acrylic crystal
• Omega 565 caliber automatic movement, non-hacking, 24J, 19,800 bph, 50-hour power reserve. Quickset date.
• Current day alternatives: Omega Seamaster 300 (more like the 1^st generation 300) and the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean

The Rolex Submariner 1680

A 60’s vintage diver shootout wouldn’t be complete without a Rolex Submariner and due to the date feature on the rest of the combatants; we figured a Sub Date was appropriate. The earliest of those, if we ignore the Double Red Sea Dweller, is the 1680 “Red” Submariner.

Introduced in 1969 and produced in this guise until roughly 1973, this is one of the more iconic and collectible models from the marque. We reviewed this watch on #TBT last year and it remains as a popular choice for my wrist. This piece is from 1970 and is original and its only “flaw” is some missing lume on the lollipop of the sweep seconds hand.

Specs:

• 40mm diameter stainless case, 47mm lug to lug, 20mm lug width, 14.3mm thickness
• 200M water resistance, acrylic crystal
• Rolex 1575 caliber automatic movement, non-hacking (until 1972), 25J, 19,800 bph, 48-hour power reserve. Non-quickset date.
• Current day alternatives: Rolex Submariner Date 116610 in either green or black

The Seiko 300M Professional 6159-7001

The absolute dark horse in our 60’s vintage diver shootout comes via one of our favorite brands: Seiko. With the 6159-7001, we get to take a look at Seiko’s 2^nd Professional diver (the first was the visually identical 6215 made for one year in 1967) produced in 1968 and 1969. When we get into the details, we’ll see that this watch is feature-rich, but it was famously or, rather, infamously this model that caused Seiko to take a time out from producing deep divers in order to develop the Seiko 6159 Tuna that debuted in 1975. The 6159-7001, it seems, wasn’t flawless, but it’s still worthy of consideration in our eyes.

This model from 1969 contains one change and that’s a “Resist” dial that is commonly thought of as a service dial that may have been meant for production had the brand continued to produce this watch after naming laws changed in mid-1970. Strangely, despite a so-called “service” dial, some Seiko diehards seek this out as an addition to their collections.

Specs:

• ~43.8mm diameter stainless monobloc case, 50mm lug to lug, 19mm lug width, 15.4mm thickness
• 300M water resistance, Hardlex mineral crystal
• Seiko 6159 caliber automatic movement, hacking, 25J, 36,000 bph, 46-hour power reserve. Quickset date.
• Current day alternatives: Seiko SLA025 limited edition 6159 reissue and the “discontinued” Seiko Marinemaster 300 SBDX017

A quick comparison of the specs shows some similarities, but, as always, it’s the details that count. Water resistances differ as the pieces are either rated at 200 or 300M and so do the movements. We have a variety of movement frequencies and case styles as well.

Which piece will end up claiming victory in our 60’s vintage diver shootout and will there be a clear winner? Could it be from one of the predictable and traditional brands or from a relative upstart? Stay tuned as we’ll come back in a week with our impressions and thoughts.

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