Five Perfect Summer Watches From Longines
What separates a great summer watch from a great winter watch (or a great all-rounder for that matter)? This question is very much up for debate, and the “right” answer will always come down to personal taste, but for our money, there are a few key things we like to see. First off, summer watches should be robust enough to take to the beach, meaning at least 100m of water resistance and a steel bracelet or rubber strap.
Secondly, whether on the dial, the bezel or the strap, summer watches should have some colour (all the better to pair with your biggest and most colourful summer fits). And, last but certainly not least, all great summer watches should be FUN. Save your sober, serious watches for the gloomy months and splash out with something as celebratory as the season itself on your wrist. With these things in mind, we took a virtual stroll around Longines’ Canadian e-boutique and came up with five choices that are perfect for the season.
Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games
Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games
Longines HydroConquest XXII Commonwealth Games
Remember what we said about summer watches being colourful and fun? This special edition of Longines’ signature diver’s watch gets full points across the board and boasts 300m water resistance to boot. As the games’ official timing partner—an association going back to the 1960s—Longines didn’t wait for the opening ceremonies on July 28th to release this special edition, limited to 2022 pieces and outfitted with a ceramic bezel insert that transitions from green to yellow to blue (like the games’ 2022 colour palette). ($2,500)
Longines Spirit Pioneer Edition
Longines Spirit Pioneer Edition
Longines Spirit Pioneer Edition
The newest addition to the growing Spirit lineup is this bold, green-accented chronograph with a case made from Grade 5 titanium. Presented on a black synthetic strap with neon green stitching this version of the Spirit boasts a chronometer-certified chronograph movement. While the Spirit is inspired by Longines’ long history of aviation watches, with 100m of water resistance and a screw-down crown, it’s also more than capable of standing up to a dip in the pool this season. ($4,800)
Longines Spirit Zulu Time
Longines Spirit Zulu Time
Longines Spirit Zulu Time
This watch is another tribute to Longines’ long history as a maker of precision aviation tools, and has two standout features for summer: a pair of colourful bezels and a GMT complication. In terms of the former, Longines offers a choice of two dials (navy or black) and two bezels (navy or green), giving it enough colourful pop for the season and enough versatility to wear year-round. The Longines Spirit Zulu time also features a dual-time complication comprised of a GMT hand and a bidirectional rotating bezel that’s graduated over 24 hours, which makes it easy to keep track of home time and a second time zone at a glance, wherever your summer travels take you. ($3,600)
Longines Legend Diver
Longines Legend Diver
Longines Legend Diver
As a brand known for vintage-inspired recreations and exceptional value, this dive watch is a textbook example of what Longines does best. An homage to the Longines Diver reference 7042 from the early 1960s, it features the same big, ultra-legible numerals and “Super Compressor” case as the original, complete with two crowns, one for setting the time and the other for rotating the internal dive bezel. Water-resistant to 300m with a woven strap the colour of beach sand, you’ll have a hard time finding a better vintage-style diver for summer. ($2,900)
Longines Ultra-Chron
Longines Ultra-Chron
Longines Ultra-Chron
Arriving just in time for summer 2022, this recent release is one of the most interesting re-editions of the year so far, and it epitomizes one of the most important attributes of a perfect summer watch: fun. Based on the first-ever “high-beat” underwater watch, a late-1960s Longines model that was accurate to within just two seconds a day, the new Ultra-Chron boasts the same unbeatable combination of quirky styling and high-accuracy timekeeping as the original. ($4,500)
