For quite some time now fans of the Longines Legend Diver have been asking for a case size somewhere in the middle of their current 42mm and 36mm models. Being the sweet spot for many watch wearers, a 39mm Longines Legend Diver would go down a treat, especially if they also combined this dimension with a date-less dial. Oh, would you look at that, just for Dubai Watch Week 2023, the Swiss watch brand has done exactly that.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
The Longines Legend Diver could be argued as one of the brand’s most emblematic watches. Few designs can rival the longevity of the Legend Diver, a watch that faithfully remembers a dive watch created by Longines in 1959. Ref. 7042, as it was known, was a typical compressor dive watch with twin crowns and an internal rotating bezel. Longines have done a fantastic job at keeping the original aesthetic alive, combining it with modern materials and movements for the contemporary wrist.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
Since its launch in 2007, we’ve seen the Longines Legend Diver undergo several updates. There’s been cases of steel, black and gold as well as colourful dials – my personal favourites being those with gradient displays. We’ve also had a few dimensions to choose from; 42mm cases with or without date complication and smaller 36mm housings. For the first time however, the Swiss watchmaker has released a new 39mm Legend Diver once again with no date window in sight.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
To make up for the loss of 3mm, the case of the new Longines Legend Diver 39mm has been slightly redesigned. Don’t worry, it’s nothing that takes away from the original retro-inspired architecture. The main difference is the lug-to-lug distance has been shrunken rather impressively from 52.4mm to 47mm. There’s also a height of 12.7mm.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
The polished and brushed stainless steel case still has the double crown set up. The crown at 2 o’clock adjusts the internal rotating bezel while the one below at 4 o’clock manipulates the time. Domed box-shaped sapphire crystal glass is also included and the 300 metre water resistance is retained. The case back is kept closed, hiding the movement from view, and is decorated with a scuba diver in relief.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
Thankfully, the design of the dial remains the same. It arrives in black or blue lacquer with a sloped bidirectional rotating bezel coloured in the same hue. White Arabic numerals are printed around the circumference alongside elongated stick markers. Much of the hardware, including the hours, minutes and seconds hand, is coated in Superluminova. Eagle eyed watch enthusiasts may notice the hands have been redesigned ever so slightly; the minutes and seconds have a new shape and the hour hand has lume down its entire length rather than just on the tip.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
A huge win for many lovers of the Longines Legend Diver, the dials have no date window. On previous models, the complication has been included at 3 o’clock but the lack of it gives the watch a much cleaner look. My only wish is that they had delivered the 39mm Legend Diver with gradient dials, but I have no doubt if I’m patient, these will come.
Longines Legend Diver 39mm - Credit Longines
For the movement, the Longines Legend Diver 39mm watches elect the automatic winding calibre L888.6. It offers a 72 hour power reserve and runs at a rate of 25,200vph. It is COSC-certified and anti-magnetic thanks to a silicon balance spring. The novelties are completed by a stainless steel beads-of-rice bracelet or a choice of straps. The blue dial comes with a blue textile strap while the black model is available on a brown leather band.
The Longines Legend Diver 39mm watches are permanent additions to the brand’s Heritage collection and retail starting at £2,850.
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Longines
- Model: Legend Diver 39mm
- Price: Starts from £2,850
- Material: Stainless steel
- Movement: Calibre L888.6 automatic winding
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds
- Dial: Black or blue
- Size: 39mm
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: I love the Longines Legend Diver and this new 39mm size is a real treat. I’d happily wear this all day, any day.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone already with a love of the LLD but with a preference for 39mm cases.
- Best characteristics of the watch: The compact case size and lack of a date window.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: I secretly wish they’d done the inaugural line-up with a gradient dial, but I’m sure my patience will be rewarded.
