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The Longines Legend Diver Bronze has been on the market since 2020 and, as part of the Heritage collection, it revives the pioneering spirit of the traditional brand. The diver impresses with many other details besides the inner bezel and the green dial. These are the highlights.
Pioneering spirit in bronze
The Longines watch company can look back on a long and varied history. The oldest registered watch brand in the world (1893) has been building high-quality Swiss watches in the upper premium segment for almost two centuries. To pay appropriate tribute to generations of watches, Longines has launched the Heritage collection. Wristwatches in these collections carry a big name, have an iconic design and are pretty much timeless.
It goes without saying that divers have also had a significant influence on Longines’ history. Even then, they stood out for an unusual and now iconic design: the bezel inside under the watch glass. Finally, 2007 marks a new milestone for Longines and watch lovers. At Baselworld, the company presents a diving watch that revisits the typical design as part of the Heritage collection. It is christened the Legend Diver. To this day, the Legend Diver models are an important and a popular part of the Longines watch world. My test watch today, the Longines Legend Diver Bronze with the reference number L3.774.1.50.2, combines the trendy material with a dark green colour gradient on the dial. What makes this purist diver so special?
My first impression
When I hold the Longines Legend Diver Bronze in my hands for the first time, I get an impression of what Heritage really means. The brand with the winged hourglass has done a great job here. A round bronze case shimmers in a warm, noble shade. The dark green dial colour, which is lightest in the centre and takes on an increasingly darker colour towards the edges, blends in amazingly well. The yellow indices contrast with this.
It is impressive how large the dial looks due to the bezel lying on the inside of the rehaut. Today, this would perhaps be called almost “rimless”. It is framed only by the thin bronze rim. I turn the watch and examine the back. The case back is made of titanium and has another highlight, but more about that later. Longines uses fine dark brown leather for the strap of its Legend Diver Bronze. A bronze clasp completes the watch.
The Longines Legend Diver Bronze on the wrist
The case diameter of 42 millimetres is a well-chosen size. This watch fits every wrist. At the same time, the design gives it a much more delicate impression than most of its chunky competitors. But perhaps that is also due to the rather low construction height of just 12.7 millimetres. These give the Longines Legend Diver Bronze sporty dimensions. Very remarkable, considering that the watch has an automatic movement inside. On the wrist, the watch lies flat and does not look too top-heavy. The Longines Legend Diver Bronze is a watch that everyone can wear! With its materials, classic design and colour combination, this watch embodies real style! Full stop.
Nevertheless, the Longines Legend Diver Bronze does not look like the typical watch that you would immediately think of when you hear the term ‘diver’. The automatic watch is much more reminiscent of a very noble and classic timepiece.
The case of the Longines Legend Diver Bronze
But the inner values are just as decisive. Here, the Longines Legend Diver Bronze must score points with diving genes as well as functionality and make it clear that it is a piece of true pioneering achievement in the history of Longines. A look at the details provides information.
Longines has kept the round case quite classic. In the front view, it stands out visually from the lugs. Most of the case is made of bronze, although the high-tech material titanium is used for the back. My tip: when buying your bronze watch, pay attention to the difference between a case made of bronze and one that is only covered with an alloy and has a stainless steel core! Longines has used bronze in this model with great success. I can warmly recommend bronze watches to you anyway. The watches are characterised by an individually developing patina and are therefore becoming more and more popular!
The Swiss manufacturer uses unbreakable sapphire for the classic domed watch glass. Sapphire glass is the hardest and safest material used in the manufacture of watch glass. But I have special praise for the multiple anti-reflective coatings on the underside. You can feel this quality, and not only when light is reflected under water. In everyday life, too, you can see the dial much more clearly.
The adventures of the back
What may be quite unconventional for other watches is a typical trademark for timepieces from the Legend Diver series: the two crowns. Instead of one at 3 o’clock, the Longines Legend Diver Bronze has one each at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock. The explanation: the 2 o’clock crown is used to set the time. The 4 o’clock crown operates the bezel, which cannot be adjusted by the wearer due to its position on the rehaut. Both crowns are also made of bronze, are quite high and fluted, which makes them easier to operate. On the top, to my surprise, there is not the winged hourglass, but a square pattern, which we will see in other places.
The case back of the Longines Legend Diver Bronze is one of my personal highlights. It is made of titanium, which scores points for its stability and light weight. Unlike bronze, it is also skin-friendly. In the centre, there is a harpooned diver, which embodies the historical-maritime theme of the watch very well in my eyes. Due to the materials and construction, the Longines Legend Diver Bronze remains water-resistant up to a pressure of 30 bar. That is more than sufficient.
L888: The Swiss automatic movement
The movement is an L888, made exclusively for Longines. Its special feature: the silicon hairspring makes it anti-magnetic and therefore extremely accurate. The automatic movement has a power reserve of 72 hours, which means that, in theory, you could not wear the watch for three days without having to rewind it. The oscillation frequency of the movement is 25500 vibrations per hour. By the way, Longines promises a full 5-year guarantee!
Dial and bezel
The dark green colour gradient, called dégradé, is the central element of the dial and gives it a certain three-dimensionality and focus on the centre. The indices are both Arabic and dash-shaped. According to Longines, they are painted on. The shade used for this is slightly yellowish and warm, which adds to the retro feel. The main hour indices have a luminous coating. Swiss Super-LumiNova® luminous material is applied very evenly and is one of the strongest on the market. I also like the pink hands very much.
The Longines Legend Diver Bronze makes the inner bezel popular again. Most diving watches have a bezel outside the dial that can be operated by bare hand. The Legend Diver, on the other hand, is a welcome change. Which design you prefer is purely a matter of taste. There are no functional disadvantages. The bezel of the Longines Legend Diver Bronze is operated via the crown at 4 o’clock. Its readability leaves nothing to be desired due to the very neatly painted indices and anti-reflective coatings on the watch glass. My verdict: a visually very elegant solution that does justice to the watch.
Longines has dispensed with a date window here. If you don’t want to miss this, you should take a look at the other Legend Diver models in stainless steel. The bronze version with the reference number L3.774.1.50.2 is certainly the most purist and closest to the original.
The bracelet of the Longines Legend Diver Bronze
The high-quality leather strap with its bronze buckle completes the watch. Its inside has fine leather engravings and therefore appears very high-quality. Nothing beats this leather strap on the wrist in everyday life! The wearing comfort is absolutely first-class.
The good impression is rounded off by the bronze buckle, which picks up the square pattern of the crowns. This looks more than good! The distance between the lugs is 22 millimetres.
My conclusion on the Longines Legend Diver Bronze
Longines addition of a bronze diver does the Heritage collection good. The Longines Legend Diver Bronze is a unique watch in many respects. And not just because it is Longines’ only bronze representative in the collection. At first glance, the watch looks like a high-quality retro timepiece in stylish bronze garb. Underneath this garb, however, is a functional diver that is in no way inferior to the competition in terms of workmanship, choice of materials and functionality.
Is this the pioneering spirit much cited by Longines? Yes, you could say that. The look, on the other hand, is just right for those who prefer elegance to functionality. With a flat design and a broze look, the watch fits on every wrist for every occasion. Longines estimates the price at $ 3000. If you like it cheaper, you should take a closer look at the other models from the Legend Diver series. They cost more than 500 euros less, but they don’t have a bronze case. Well, you can’t have everything!
