Like its predecessors, the first of which hit the market in 2012, the latest version of the Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 pays homage to the Saint-Imier brand’s aviation-watch past. The new timepiece takes inspiration from a model ordered by the U.S. Air Force in 1935 (we review a previously released model here) and engineered to meet rigorous specifications in terms of aesthetics, durability and precision.
The new variation of the Longines Avigation Watch Type A-71935 (Ref. L2.812.4.53.2) is faithful to its pre-war aviation origins. The model’s black dial, shifted 40 degrees to the right and protected by a nonreflective sapphire crystal, is a nod to the pilots who would wear the watch on the inside of their wrist over thick gloves to read the time quickly and easily without having to release the aircraft’s control yoke. The large, fluted crown, located at 12 o’clock, enabled the wearer to control the watch’s chronograph functions by simply pressing the single push-piece inserted in its center.
The round stainless steel case measures 41 mm in diameter and houses the column-wheel chronograph movement, Caliber L788.2, based on the reliable ETA Valgranges A08.L11. Exclusively developed for Longines, the self-winding mechanical movement features 27 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 vph, and 54 hours of power reserve. It’s shielded behind a solid, engraved caseback that helps ensure case’s water-resistance to 30 meters (3 bar).
The Type A-7 1935 adopts the dial design of its ancestor: its matte black dial is bordered by a white-colored railway minutes track and adorned with large, honey-colored Arabic numerals for hours. The rhodium-plated, “cathedral”-shaped hour and minute hands are Super-LumiNova-coated. Both subdials, outlined by their own white, railway tracks, use a vintage-type font for their numerals similar to those used for the hours, and the small-seconds subdial at 6 o’clock incorporates a rectangle-shaped date display window, outlined in white. The counter at 12 o’clock tallies 30 elapsed minutes when the chronograph is switched on.
The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-71935 comes mounted on a brown leather alligator strap similar to the one used on the white-lacquered-dial version launched in 2016. It is available for purchase upon request through Longines’ site and retails for $5,050.
| Manufacturer: | Longines Watch Co. Francillon Ltd., Les Longines, 2610 Saint-Imier, Switzerland |
| Reference Number: | L2.812.4.53.2 |
| Model: | Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 |
| Functions: | Hours, minutes, small seconds and date display at 6 o’clock, chronograph with monopusher, 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock |
| Movement: | Caliber L788.2 (ETA A08.L11 base), automatic, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, 54-hour power-reserve, column wheel chronograph |
| Case: | Stainless steel, sapphire crystal, single push-piece inserted into the crown, 30 meter water resistance |
| Bracelet and clasp: | Brown alligator strap with steel pin buckle |
| Dimensions: | Diameter = 41 mm |
| Price: | $5,050 |