Longines Asthmometer-Pulsometer Chronograph

Chronograph watches can be used to time everything from automobile races to soft-boiled eggs. With its new Asthmometer-Pulsometer Chronograph, Longines has introduced a chronograph that can literally be used to saved lives.The watch is based on a vintage Longines wristwatch from 1963, intended primarily for medical use, that could be used to measure not only the time but also a patient’s heart rate and respiration. The original model debuted during a period in which diagnoses depended heavily on the precision of the measuring instruments. The modern version features two scales — red for measuring heart rate (pulsometer) and blue for measuring respiration (asthmometer) — printed along the edge of the silvered dial. The scales can be used in conjunction with the watch’s chronograph function to provide this valuable medical info, which can be used either in a sports context (i.e., training) or in examining a patient and reading his vital functions.

The retro-sized case of the Longines Asthmometer-Pulsometer Chronograph is 38.5 mm, the same dimensions as the 1963 original, and features beveled lugs. The hands, applied hour indices and Arabic numeral “12” are all gold-plated. The watch contains the automatic ETA 2094 caliber (here renamed Longines Caliber L652.2), which powers a chronograph with central sweep seconds, a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, along with a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock. The Longines Asthmometer-Pulsometer Chronograph retails for $2,475.

Technical characteristics:

Movement: Longines Caliber L652.2 (ETA 2094), automatic; 10 1/2 lignes; 33 jewels; 28,800 vph; 37-hour power reserve

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph with asthmometer and pulsometer scale

Case and strap: Stainless steel case, diameter = 38.5 mm; sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating; water-resistant to 30 meters; on black alligator strap with steel buckle

Dial and hands: Silvered dial with one gilded Arabic numeral (“12”) and 8 gilded applied indices; gilded hands; asthmometer scale in blue; pulsometer scale in red; small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock; chronograph minutes subdial at 3 o’clock; chronograph hours subdial at 6 o’clock; date window at 6 o’clock