stealthy vibes
WITH THE AQUARACER CARBON, TAG HEUER CREATED ONE OF THE MOST MODERN INCARNATIONS OF THE BRAND’S ULTIMATE DIVE WATCH
“Lightweight, innovative and unique, this material provides watches with unmatched style and comfort”
For more than 150 years, tAG heuer has faced down every challenge and pushed past it. on top of that, by defying some of the time-honored conventions of swiss watchmaking, the brand has achieved ever higher levels of precision and performance. it makes its own rules, never cracks under pressure, never quits moving forward, never compromises and, last but not least, chooses its own path.
now, the swiss watchmaker has introduced its most modern line of models yet of the famous Aquaracer, the brand’s ultimate diver’s watch. named the Aquaracer carbon, the watch itself comes with an urban look that combines comfort, durability and sportiness.
Behind the Scenes
As the name suggests, the Aquaracer carbon is entirely developed based on fiber carbon. lightweight, innovative and unique, this material allows for the creation of watches with unmatched style and comfort. And in this case, carbon brings together all the properties— from high mechanical performance, very high chemical resistance and excellent ability to withstand shocks—of a material that is faithful to the brand’s avant-garde spirit.
The Aquaracer carbon’s satiny, lightly iridescent look is specific to each watch and varies between black and lighter hues of grey. The watch further comes in three pop-color variants, each standing out thanks to hints of blue, yellow or rose gold. for sure, these three new carbon-finish models have greatly expanded tAG heuer’s Aquaracer collection.
Breaking It Down
The tAG heuer Aquaracer carbon watch comes in a 41mm titanium case covered with a coating of black Pvd. upfront, the dial boasts an imitation carbon effect with its full black look, subtly illuminated by hints of color, in order to lend the piece elegance and modernity.
What we have here, in essence, is a watch that is solid and sturdy but also—and more importantly—very light. This is the result of random injection of carbon fibers into a resin pressed at high temperatures. it is this process that also created the unique look in each piece, as each individual Aquaracer carbon boasts an exclusive black motif mottled with grey marbled streaks. That this motif evokes the depths of the oceans is certainly another nod to the Aquaracer’s roots in water sports.
to top it all off, the watch is enhanced by a beautiful black textile strap, with topstitching that echoes the color of the dial. in a way, this final touch exemplifies the line’s performance qualities, while at the same time enhancing its refined, sporty allure.
All in all, this special carbon series from tAG heuer is ultra-light, hardwearing and modern. As beautiful to the eyes as it is a pleasure to wear, the Aquaracer carbon is the perfect watch for setting off in search of adventure, while maintaining the sporty and stylish look that’s inseparable from tAG heuer.
Longines has always placed great importance on honoring its rich past and drawing inspiration from it. For the former it has always went to great lengths to preserve the brand’s archives and the know-how of its watchmakers, while for the latter it has constantly grown its historical collections.
It is in this spirit of tradition and preservation of heritage that the winged hourglass company is expanding its Heritage collection with a reimagined military model from the 1940s. The resulting piece—which was first gleaned at the baselworld fair earlier this year—is the longines Heritage military.
In the Background
The longines Heritage military draws its inspiration from a vintage watch originally created for members of the british royal air Force ( raF). stanley turner—a highlydecorated radiotelegraph operator aboard an raF aircraft during the second world war— famously wore this model around his wrist. turner’s watch was recovered and offered to the swiss brand by a young english collector, who then inspired the current reissue.
to reproduce the patina on the original timpiece, the dial on the longines Heritage military watch has been hand-sprayed with tiny
“The Longines Heritage Military flawlessly adheres to the refined aesthetic and spirit of the period timepiece that inspired it”
black droplets, which also ensured that each and every piece would be visually unique.
on a more technical note, the new longines Heritage military comes with a curved and fully polished bezel and a box-form sapphire crystal. despite housing an automatic movement (the l888.2) inside, this piece stands out among longines’ contemporary offerings as the only one not to carry the “automatic” label on its dial. This is, of course, meant to preserve the spirit of watchmaking as it was done in the 1940s.
A New Identity
Up front, the longines Heritage military displays a silver, opaline dial with the aforementioned fine droplets in black paint. This marked the first time that longines used this approach. more importantly, it was done entirely by hand in order to mimic the random nature of oxidation found on the original watch. and again, a side effect of this treatment was that every watch became subtly unique.
with its minimalist design and 38.5mm case, the longines Heritage military flawlessly adheres to the refined aesthetic and spirit of the period timepiece that inspired it. The oversized winding crown further evokes the original watch’s ease of handling. a green, aged leather strap completes the watch. as a final touch, the watch is presented in a specially designed case that also contains a nato strap in the same shade is also along with the required replacement tool.
once again, longines manages to breathe new life into a historic model. It was also a most timely move, as the royal air Force celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. If anything, this was a wonderful tribute to both the venerated service as well as longines’ own heritage of classical watchmaking. The new longines Heritage military, therefore, becomes the perfect accompaniment on the wrist of fearless gentlemen who prefer timepieces with a courageous past.