WATCH REVIEW

Borrowed Time: Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935


There’s nothing quite as distinctive — and, in some cases, as polarizing — in the arena of vintage-style timepieces as a really period-accurate replica pilot’s watch, and Longines — whose century-plus timepiece archives have yielded an expansive and increasingly popular collection of Heritage models — has taken the style to a new level with the Avigation Watch Type A7 1935, a re-edition of a watch that debuted in that model name’s suffix year and which was worn by U.S. Army pilots in the years leading up to World War II.

Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - reclining
The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 is based on a model that met a strict set of standards for U.S. Army pilots.

The watch is not “timeless” in its design, as some other historically inspired models could be described, but truly a product of its time — with its big, retro-font Arabic numerals, railway-track minutes scale, pocketwatch-style stacked subdials, onion crown, and, most notably the “tilted” design of the time display, a remnant of the 1935 model’s adherence to a precise set of criteria set by its customers, the U.S. Army (this was before the Air Force was spun off as its own branch of the military, in 1947). These standards — which any timepiece earning the Type A-7 designation were required to meet — included not only top-notch precision and sturdiness but also ideal legibility in the cockpit on aerial missions, hence the 40-degree angle of the dial to the right, which enabled a pilot, who would customarily wear the watch on the inside of his wrist over thick gloves, to read the time quickly and easily without having to release his aircraft’s control yoke. (“Avigation,” for those curious, is an amalgamation of “aviation” and “navigation.”)

At 41 mm in diameter in gleamingly polished stainless steel, the Type A-7 nestles comfortably against the wrist and under a shirt cuff, with just the onion crown, and its smooth-edged chronograph monopusher in the center, poking out at an idiosyncratic angle. The white lacquered dial, bordered by the railway minutes track, provides a clean stage for the large, vintage-style Arabic hour numerals, which are filled with a honey-colored varnish that imparts to them an appealing faux patina. The same honey-colored varnish is used to fill in the inner sections of the “pear skeleton” hands made of blued steel. The subdials, each ringed by their own tiny railway track, look fairly similar at a glance but display subtle but significant differences up close: the 12 o’clock subdial, which obliterates most of the 12 o’clock numeral and tallies 30 elapsed minutes when the chronograph is switched on, uses a vintage-type serif font for its numerals, similar to the larger font used for the hour numerals. The 6 o’clock running seconds subdial, on the other hand, not only obscures the “6” numeral as its counterpart does the “12;” it also uses a different, light sans-serif font for the numerals along its track but also a sans-serif font (possibly even a different one) for the date numeral in its window.

Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Dial CU
The dial’s numerals are filled with “faux patina” honey-colored lacquer.
Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Dial - Date
The date appears in a window inside the 6 o’clock subdial.

The hands of the two subdials are also different: leaf-shaped with a curved diamond-shaped counterweight for the chronograph counter and baton-shaped for the small seconds. Between all of these numeral fonts, along with the text used for the “Longines” and “Automatic” indications on the dial, there are a lot of different text styles on this dial. It is to Longines’ credit that, at least in my estimation, it all works harmoniously together and does not detract from either visual harmony or readability.

The legibility issue with this watch, as one might expect, is more about that distinctive off-center time display, a design that, as mentioned above, was made for totally utilitarian reasons back in 1935, as the original watch was meant to be read off an upward-tilted wrist that was holding onto flight controls. Nowadays, the style is more widely called a “driving watch,” i.e., a watch whose time can be read easily by a driver with his hands on a car’s steering wheel. However one wants to describe it, it takes some getting used to if you’re mostly traveling on foot and checking the time normally (as I was during Baselworld 2018 back in March, while I was wearing the watch for review). With the clockwise tilt of the dial (and, of course, of the movement), it is easy at a quick glance, for example, to mistake 10:10 with 11:15. Wearers of this watch will quickly learn to look at the numbers the hands are pointing at rather than just the position of the hands — either that or learn to hold their forearm at a 45-degree angle when they want to do a time check. The good news is, even if you’re misreading the time at first glance, you’re erring on the side of being early rather than late.

Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Dial - Hands
Several types of hands and numeral fonts are used on the dial.
Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Lug
The curving lugs fasten the 41-mm case to an alligator strap.

What should not get overlooked as we run down the pros and cons of this watch’s defiantly retro design is its functionality: a monopusher chronograph at this watch’s eminently reasonable price point is rare indeed. It should also be noted that Longines’ watchmakers avoided a potential pitfall here with its sturdy design: a monopusher embedded into the crown might have meant an inadvertent activation of the stopwatch function every time the watch was re-set and the crown pressed back into its neutral position against the case. However, starting, stopping and zeroing the chronograph requires firm, deliberate pressure on the pusher, so simply pushing the crown back into place to begin winding the watch presents no problems at all. Speaking of the crown, another bonus that’s not so obvious at first: it only pulls out to one position, for setting the hour and minute, which means there is no separate position for quickly changing the date. However, a small inset pusher in the left side of the case (near the 7 o’clock position, which of course would traditionally be the 8 o’clock position) serves to advance the date, though you’ll need to employ the tip of a pen or a small screwdriver or other tipped tool.

Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Crown-pusher
The chronograph’s single pusher is embedded in the vintage-style onion crown.
Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Corrector
A date corrector is inset into the left side of the case.

The movement that makes all this functionality possible is the Longines-exclusive Caliber L788.2, which is based on the reliable ETA Valgranges A08.L11, with a column wheel mechanism to drive the chronograph functions, along with a vertical clutch and an oscillating pinion. It is self-winding by means of a unidirectional rotor, storing a power reserve of 54 hours and beating at a balance frequency of 28,800 vph. Its off-center placement inside the case accounts for the dial’s unconventional angle. Its haute horlogerie decorations do, however, remain hidden behind a solid steel caseback, adorned with a suitably aeronautic image of an airplane, its wingspan etched with a Longines logo, surrounded by a radiating sunburst motif. One does miss the view of the movement a bit (at least, this one did), but it’s a very nice-looking caseback, and obviously a solid back is more historically accurate.

Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Caseback
The solid steel caseback features the image of a historical airplane.
Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 - Buckle
Longines’s winged hourglass logo adorns the buckle.

On that note, a more rugged strap, perhaps of plain calf leather, would have been more period-appropriate for this historically derived pilots’ watch, but the brown alligator strap (which does feature the white contrast stitching one associates with those old airman’s bracelets) is not only comfortable and attractive, but totally appropriate for the dress watch that this contemporary model indisputably is. If the case were, say, 50 mm and brushed, rather than 42 mm and polished, I might argue that a more utilitarian strap would be preferable, but here the choices made are perfect for the ensemble. Let’s face it: nobody in 2018, even a licensed pilot, is strapping this timepiece on to fly bombing missions. And did I mention that reasonable price point? This latest tribute timepiece to military aviation history from Longines can be had for just $3,500.

Longines Avigation Type A-7 1935 - wrist
With the Type A-7 1935, Longines has used old-school military functionality to produce a luxurious-looking, and very affordable, modern dress watch.
No Responses to “Borrowed Time: Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935”

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  1. Frank H Gregory

    Still in love here. As a matter-of-fact, kudos to Longines devotion to their updated historic line. Well done.

    Reply
  2. Ken Sohl

    Wow, striking watch. I’d seen pics of the originals, but, didn’t realize they were making them again. $3,500 is a good price for a watch of Longine’s workmanship and quality in-house movement, IMHO, particularly when you compare it to the bloated prices of some other Swiss watches. Thanks for this article.

    Reply
  3. Tschopp Edwin

    Do not like the cutted 12 and 6, a point would be better. The numerals are far too bold and the ugly date display cuts the circle. Without date would be much better. And the mention “AUTOMATIC” is useless and would better not be printed here.

    Reply
  4. Leehu Zysberg

    I LOVE this watch. Ever since Longines started taking themselves seriously again (I think around 2005?) after a few years in which it seems like they lost their way – they have come up with a few historically-inspired designs and dedicated movements that provide striking visuals with top mechanical quality and sill – their prices remain reasonable. A rarity these days.

    Reply
  5. Bill Sohne

    Hi

    The plane silhouette looks to the Spirit of St. Louis.
    Good Hunting
    Bill

    Reply
  6. James p Brennan

    Nice distinctive watch. Good idea not to let the size go too large.

    Reply
  7. F H Gregory

    Uniquely stylish and very functional. Love it. Tks for all your coverage.

    Reply
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