Longines Triples Down On The 39mm Legend With Three New Colors

Very few brands have the ability to pull from a vast library of heaters the way Longines can. And Longines doesn’t abuse the luxury it has in its back catalog. It’s entire heritage line is filled with watches from aviation-style to dress. But arguably its greatest asset is its archetypal, dual-crown, Legend Diver – a mid-century iconic design that feels distinctly Longines. Heck, I will argue it here and now, it is  the brand’s greatest asset. And it isn’t as if Longines doesn’t know that and hasn’t been utilizing the design for years now in sizes ranging from 36mm-42mm.

But the release of the 39mm variation in black and blue was a direct callback to the original watch of yore and cemented Longines’ position as a former stalwart ready to plant itself firmly in the modern consciousness. 39mm is effectively the sizing of the very first Legend Diver and the treatment given to the blue and black variation felt like a tribute without overdoing it by way of faux-patina. 

So if that release worked, the surely, doubling – nay tripling – down on the format should be a good idea right? We should expect to get more dial variations. Well, that  can  work but it most certainly would depend on the colors presented. Yesterday, in the all of the hullabaloo of Geneva Watch Days, Longines did just and that and showed us that you can add to a good thing and improve.

The colors we are getting this week are a red, a grey, and a green. Who am I kidding? You know they aren;t just calling them red, grey, and green. The formal names are Terracotta (red), Anthracite (grey), and … drumroll … ok, fine, green. Green is green, but it is a vibrant and very cool green that deserves as much applause as it’s fancier-named siblings.

Much the same way I went on about the Doxa Aristera, a watch that “only” underwent a crown shift, or the Omega white dial Speedmaster, a watch that “only” underwent a dial color change, the Longines are kind of just that: Watches in a format we know but in colors we didn't know…until now. 

There are slight differences between the watches of course, but they are very very slight. The main difference involves the lume and the coloration of certain elements on the dial. On the Anthracite model, the slightly aged accents reside within the numerals themselves and the slanted applied stick markings next to them in addition to the triangle on the internal bezel. On the Terracotta and the Green editions, the numerals are a more stark white while the smaller rectangular markers and applied lume dots (along with the triangle) get the aged treatment.

There is a real softness to these colors much the same way the blue dial iteration was very matte, a greyish blue. By far the boldest is the variation with the simplest name: the Green. And while green is still very in as a dial color these days, I would have to choose the Terracotta red as my favorite of the bunch because it is both unique and feels very at home in this vintage-meets-modern package.

Inside these watches is a value packed movement via the L888 caliber. We are talking about a $3,400 300m water-resistant, 39mm diver steeped in history on a beads-of-rice bracelet (20mm lug-width) packing a chronometer-certified movement. 

I would say this about the black and the blue as well, but the Longines Legend Diver 39mm might be the best kept value play in watches. And these new colors only bolster that fact. NOw there is only so much I can say about a slew of new dial colors so I will throw it to you all. Which one of these new dials is your favorite, and what do you think about the 39m Longines Legend Diver?