The Legend Diver has become an expansive collection within the Heritage stable of Longines’ portfolio, and it’s getting a little bigger this week with the release of the Legend Diver 59. The modern Legend Diver, which was introduced in 2007, has now been in production longer than the watch it was inspired by, the Super Compressor reference 7042 (and subsequent reference 7150). It’s a watch that arguably helped set the tone for the throwback design trend that fully took root with the Tudor Black Bay, which was released some five years later. Longines dive watch history may not be quite as illustrious as that of Tudor, but their original design offered formidable capabilities wrapped in a now iconic look.
When Longines brought the super compressor back to the market in 2007 as the Legend Diver, they put a spotlight on an often ignored portion of their history. It’s a brand we largely associate with chronographs (for good reason), but they made plenty of other contributions to a variety of genres from field to pilot. Longines was slightly late to the dive watch scene, but when they arrived they did so in their own way with the likes of the Ref. 6921-1 skin diver (a watch that has since been retro’d), and the 7042 Super Compressor, which boasted a 42mm EPSA case with an internal bezel and dual crowns, and a 100 meter depth rating to boot. It’s a genre they’ve come to embrace.
With the Legend Diver 59, the collection comes full circle once again, capturing the original design from the late ‘50s with a charming modern interpretation. The watch uses a 42mm steel case, and boasts a textured matte black dial with no date, and ‘aged’ lume at the hour markers and hands. The general configuration has been produced within the modern Legend Diver family, but with the 59, it gets about as close as it can to the original formula.
When the watch was originally released in 2007, it used a green tinted lume, which only filled the very end of the fully polished hour hand. It also had a date. The range has seen a number of welcome updates and editions over the years, including a smaller case option, colorful dials, and more – but with the 59, the watch returns to its original goals of celebrating the original design. Of course, there are a variety of designs that remain available within the collection, but this 59 will serve as the backbone.
The new Legend Diver 59 uses an automatic caliber L888.6 behind a closed caseback, and the watch is a COSC certified chronometer. There is also a new mesh bracelet offered with the watch that brings a decidedly old-school vibe to the platform that works, not surprisingly, quite well. This is a watch that will look pretty good on any number of strap options, though. This is not a limited edition, and Longines have priced the Legend Diver 59 at $4,100. Longines
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