Longines Sector Dial Review: Trendsetting Vintage Style Under $3,000

The Longines Heritage Classic Sector Dial has, in its relatively short time on the market, set itself apart from the rest of the Swiss brand's vintage-inspired Heritage series with its combination of retro charm, understated dimensions, and minimalist aesthetics, all at a very approachable price point, Here is a closer look at the watch, with a brief foray into other recent timepieces that just might have been inspired by its success. 

[toc-section heading="A Bit of Longines History"]

Longines was founded in 1832 in the Swiss Jura town of Saint-Imier by Auguste Agassiz and two partners. Agassiz (above, left) became the sole proprietor in 1846 after both partners, attorneys by trade, retired from the watch business, and shortly thereafter, he brought his nephew, an enterprising economist named Ernest Françillon (above, right), into the company. It was Françillon, in 1867, who moved all of the firm’s various watchmaking disciplines — which were scattered throughout dozens of independent workshops called établisseurs — under one roof, to a factory that was situated in a scenic area called “Les Longines” or “The Long Meadows,” thus giving the company its now-familiar name.  In 1889, Francillon registered the famous Longines logo with a winged hourglass — today the world’s oldest unchanged, active logo according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Among Longines’ many milestones under Françillon’s management were the company’s first in-house movement, Caliber 20A, and its first chronograph movement for hand-held stopwatches, Caliber 20H, which helped Longines establish the longstanding reputation for innovations in sports timing, particular in equestrian sports, that it enjoys to this day. Longines was the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, which was the first international Olympics held in modern times. 

In the 20th and 21st Centuries, Longines continued to innovate, making the first wristwatch with a flyback chronograph, the first with a dual-time dial (inspiring the Spirit Zulu Time models of today), and one of the most historically significant pilot’s watches, the Lindbergh Hour Angle, based on a design from Charles Lindbergh, the first aviator to cross the Atlantic. As early as 1987, with the first revival of that milestone timepiece, it was clear that Longines was one of the very first Swiss watch brands to anticipate the rise in popularity of retro-influenced, vintage-look timepieces, a trend that continues to this day. In fact, Longines was among the very first to devote an entire line of watches within its large collection to resurrecting vintage and often highly rare models from its long history.

These pieces are what make up the aptly named Longines Heritage Collection, which includes some of the brand’s most unusual and fan-favorite models, like the Avigation and Majetek pilot watches, the minimalist Flagship and Conquest Heritage series, and the 1930s-inspired dress watch we’re looking at today, the Heritage Classic Sector Dial. Longines says that a particular museum piece from 1934, the heyday of Art Deco, was the main forerunner. But despite being rooted in an era that few watch aficionados today would even remember, this most elegant member of the retro-flavored family has become an enduring hit with audiences today.

[toc-section heading="Longines Sector Dial Review"]

Longines Sector Dial: Case and Strap

Many watches within the Longines Heritage collection strive to reinvent as faithfully as possible the aesthetics of the original models upon which they are based —  including, often, their very modest dimensions. The steel case of the Heritage Classic Sector Dial is no exception, measuring 38.5-mm in diameter and 11mm thick, with slim, subtly curved lugs and a narrow, flat bezel. Measuring lug to lug, the case’s wrist presence extends to a slightly more imposing 47.6mm, and the combination of slim bezel and concentric-circle dial design (more on which below) help this rather modest watch present a bit larger than its dimensions suggest.

The finishing on the case is almost entirely brushed, which might seem an odd choice for a watch that most enthusiasts would place in the dress rather than tool category, but it aids in this timepiece’s overall understated character and is likely period-appropriate to its ancestor. The box-shaped crystal framed by the bezel is made of sapphire and has several layers of antireflective coating on its underside.The push-pull crown is discreet and fluted, with an engraving of the Longines winged hourglass emblem. The same historic image appears as an engraving on the solid steel caseback, which covers the mechanical movement inside. The case, which offers only a modest water resistance of 30 meters, is mounted on a calf leather strap (black, as in the model shown here, or blue), which completes the old-timey vibe and fastens to the wrist with a simple steel pin buckle. 

Longines Sector Dial: Dial and Hands

The distinctive dial is, of course, the element that gives this historically inspired watch its name, and for good reason. The dial’s sectored, concentric-circle layout combines a brushed outer ring contrasting attractively with a matte inner surface and an engine-turned, indented small seconds scale with its own sectored layout, albeit minus any Arabic numerals. The hour numerals (at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock) and accompanying indexes are painted on the dial, rather than applied, as per historical accuracy, and the stick-shaped hands sweep over a period-appropriate Longines logo below 12 o’clock.

The dial also features another decidedly period-reminiscent detail, a crosshairs motif that reaches from the center of the hands’ axis to the outer edge of the inner, matte circle. The effect of dividing that circle into quadrants is muted a bit by the presence of the aforementioned small-seconds subdial, which dominates much of the lower central part of the dial, and which also somewhat oddly obscures the top of the numeral “6.” At a close glance, or under a loupe, the subdial itself reveals a discreet snailed pattern that adds to the feeling of depth and texture, and the hands are in blued steel for a pleasing contrast with the somewhat austere background. 

The Movement

As noted previously, the Heritage Classic Sector Dial has a solid caseback rather than a more modern type with a sapphire exhibition window — a nod to period-appropriate design, as no watch in the 1930s or ‘40s would have had such an indulgence. So the movement inside can only be appreciated for its performance rather than its aesthetics, which is in some ways a shame, but the Longines Caliber L893 delivers in both areas. Based on the ETA A31.501, which is itself an extension of the popular ETA 2892A2, the movement is exclusive to Longines, powered by a large rotor emblazoned with a cursive Longines logo, an openworked cutout in the silhouette of the brand’s hourglass emblem, and a côtes de Genève treatment.

The version inside this watch is technically the L893.5,  which has been outfitted with a balance spring made of silicon for optimal resistance to magnetic fields. The balance beats at 25,200 vph, or 3.5 Hz, which is an unusual rate found mostly in Longines proprietary movements, and used here for a rather simple and rational technical reason: a slower beat rate (25,200 vph rather than the more common, faster 28,800 vph) means less power consumption. Lower power consumption increases energy efficiency, which in turn bestows a longer power reserve, up to 72 hours according to Longines’ most recent estimates. (The earliest versions of this caliber were clocked at 64 hours.) The movement has 26 jewels, a hacking seconds function, and an Incabloc shock protector, and it features a stamped perlage finish on the mainplate in addition to the wave texture on the rotor — though you’ll need to remove the caseback to see it.

[toc-section heading="Pricing and Other Versions"]

Not to be overlooked in this analysis of what has made the Heritage Classic Sector Dial such a sleeper hit for Longines is that it carries, in all of its iterations, the very accessible price tags for which the Saint-Imier-based watchmaker has become renowned. The model shown here, with silver-toned dial on a black leather strap, retails for $2,750. A black-dial version on a brown leather strap, and another silver-dial model on a blue leather strap, are also available for the same price. On a vintage-look, seven-link steel bracelet, the black-dial model sells for just $200 more ($2,950). In terms of where the watch fits within the larger Heritage family, it’s just slightly above the $2,150 asking price for the entry-level, three-hand-date version of the Flagship Heritage, and below that of core 38mm Conquest Heritage models (three hands, no date), which start at $3,300 on leather straps.

[toc-section heading="Other Sector-Dial Watches"]

During its relatively short time on the market — it was introduced in late 2019 — the Longines Heritage Classic Sector Dial has not only become something of a cult classic; it has also been influential, at least judging by the adoption of the style by other watch brands, large and small, most of them shooting for a similar priced segment of the market. To illustrate, we’ve found a handful of other sector-dial watches that have caught our eye, most of which have launch in the years since Longines' model debuted. 

Alpina Heritage Automatic ($1,895)

The newest model to join Alpina’s historically inspired Heritage series, the Heritage Automatic evokes the design language of Alpina watches from the 1920s through the 1940s — in the case of this model, one whose original dimensions were a very modest 25.7mm. Alpina doesn’t go so far as to re-create that dainty size in the modern version, but scales up the case up to a more contemporary but still understated 38mm in diameter and 10.15mm thick. All the watch’s dial elements are more or less faithful to those of its ancestor, including the sector-style minute track, blued Dauphine hands, printed numerals and indexes, and period-appropriate vintage Alpina logo. The notation “26 jewels” on the dial is a period-appropriate touch that references the movement inside, Alpina’s automatic Caliber AL-520, a no-date version of the base Caliber AL-525, itself a rebranded version of the ubiquitous Sellita SW200-1.

Raymond Weil Millesime ($2,295)

Independent Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil, well-established in the “affordable luxury” category, took many watch connoisseurs by surprise when its Millesime model took the coveted Challenge award in 2023’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Genève (GPHG), the watch world’s equivalent of the Oscars. At 39.5mm in brushed and polished stainless steel with a slender profile;  a vintage-inspired sector dial with contrasting finished surfaces for the hour track, minute track, and central area; and silver-toned sword hands sweeping over a recessed small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, the Millesime represents a throwback to a style of understatedly elegant dress watch that few seem to be making any more. The movement, visible through a clear caseback, also boasts an array of high-end embellishments as well as a signature “W”-shaped rotor, bonuses at this very accessible price point. I review the Millesime here.

Nodus Sector Field II Titanium ($550)

SoCal-based microbrand Nodus designs and assembles its watches at the company’s HQ in Los Angeles, from imported materials, including Seiko automatic movements from Japan. The Sector Field II Ti model, a titanium-cased version of the original steel model, is offered in an array of vibrant, gradient dial colors, including the Marina (blue), Shale (gray) and Sequoia (green) pictured here. The watch features the classic 24-hour military time track inside an outer ring of legible Arabic hour-numeral appliqués. The case offers a robust 100-meter water resistance and comes on a Hybrid TecTuff rubber strap equipped with a titanium clasp. Nodus used grade 2 titanium rather than the more common (and more expensive) grade 5 because it offers a more matte, glare-free surface — just what you'd want in an actual, mission-ready field watch.

Baltic HMS 002 ($417.50)

Paris-based Baltic is a microbrand that is perhaps best known for its Aquascaphe collection of vintage-inspired dive watches. With the HMS002, Baltic serves up a more elegant style of timepiece, which is distinguished by its sector dial with gilt lines and typography, sporting a grained finish in the center and a radial brushed surface on the minute track. The steel case measures a modest 38mm in diameter and 12mm thick, aping the restrained dimensions of the vintage watches that it calls to mind, and is topped with an acrylic box-type crystal. Aiding and abetting this watch’s eyebrow-raising value proposition is the movement inside, an 8-series Miyota automatic caliber which brings a bit of Japanese craftsmanship to the watch’s proudly French character.

Vacheron Constantin FiftySix Self Winding ($14,300)

The FiftySix collection, introduced in 2018 (shortly ahead of the Longines Sector Dial), has its origins in a vintage watch from Vacheron Constantin’s vast archives, the fondly remembered Reference 6073 from 1956. Like that timepiece, the models in the modern FiftySix collection feature a case design inspired by the Maltese cross, the longtime symbol of Vacheron Constantin, with each of the curved lugs representing one branch of this 15th-century badge of honor. Its classical sector dial, with alternating Arabic numeral appliqués and baton indexes, color-matched date window, and subtly differing finishes in each pf the dial's concentric ringed sectors, will appeal to many, and the movement inside, automatic Caliber 1326, impresses with its 48-hour power reserve and stop-seconds function.

For more details on the Longines Heritage collection, visit longines.com.