Longines returns to its roots to recreate a pilot’s watch for the wider audience. Presenting the Pilot Majetek.
Press Release details with commentary in italics.
New: Longines Pilot Majetek
The new Longines Pilot Majetek retails for SGD 5,630. Price inclusive of GST.
Commentary
The new Pilot Majetek is a new look by Longines into their storied history of aviation watches, and redesigned with an eye for the watch as an everyday watch. The cues are taken from its namesake Majetek which featured a curved cushion case which they registered in 1935. The new watch is in a 43mm diameter steel case with a fluted bezel with crystal marker which aligns to an internal flourescent triangle marker as the start time indicator.
The new Majetek is powered by the Longines L893.6 (based on the ETA A321.L91) automatic winding movement with a silicon escapement and COSC certification.
Though three references were quoted in the Longines release documentation, there is only one new model which is released – the Ref. L2,838,53.x, with the last digit being the designation for the strap used. .0 is designated for brown leather, .2 for green leather and .8 for the NATo style polyester fibre from recycled materials.
Release details
A return to the essence of the pilot’s watch:
The new LONGINES PILOT MAJETEK
With the LONGINES PILOT MAJETEK, the winged-hourglass brand is putting its name to the return of a watch designed for aviation and appreciated by a wider audience. This new timepiece combines a spirit of adventure and a historical dimension without ignoring 21st-century aesthetic and technical codes. Its bi-directional fluted bezel mounted on a cushion-shaped steel case asserts its original character and evokes the 1935 model that inspired it.
With a history of more than 190 years, Longines can draw on an incomparable heritage. The brand’s iconic pilot’s and explorer’s instrument watches, with their cutting-edge technical features, are the prestigious proof of this. The winged-hourglass brand can thus offer enthusiasts of fine mechanical watches timepieces whose DNA is rooted in the characteristic aesthetics of the brand’s historic models. Longines combines these with contemporary expertise, to measure time with the undisputed precision and reliability for which it is renowned. The design of the Longines Pilot Majetek is a perfect example of this.
In its first version, the curved cushion shape of its case underlines its unique design, registered on 1 April 1935 at the International Industrial Property Office in Bern, Switzerland. Although intended for aviators, this watch has in the past attracted a wider audience seeking a reliable, robust, precise and easy-to-read watch.
The technical and ergonomic features of the new Longines Pilot Majetek have been completely overhauled. Its revised proportions, original slightly curved cushion shape and more rounded lugs are in keeping with current trends.
Its 43 mm diameter delivers outstanding wearer comfort.
At 9 o’clock, the outside of the steel case, which has a screw-in back, is fitted with a commemorative plate marked “1935”. This refers to the original date of the first Longines “Majetek” model, and conceals a newly patented gear mechanism. It guarantees the water-resistance of 10 bar (100 m) of the external fluted rotating bezel system coupled with the internal fluorescent mobile triangle marker, or “Starting time indicator”. The latter is displayed below the sapphire crystal, from which it is independent, and above the dial. On the 1935 model, the bezel and the crystal with the marker rotated as a unit. On the current model, the sapphire glass is fixed and contributes to the water-resistance of the new case.
A watch with defined codes
Like watches designed specifically for aviators, the new Longines Pilot Majetek has a matte black dial offering optimum legibility. The white Arabic numerals, coated with SuperLumiNova® old radium, indicate the hours, highlighted by a railway minute marker. Rhodium-tipped baton hands move across them. They are phosphorescent, ensuring optimal night-time legibility. The oversized small seconds dial, lowered into the dial at 6 o’clock, is a reminder, together with the fluted bezel, of the original functional character of this pilot’s watch. The overall effect is well-balanced and the watch exudes elegance.
Powered by the exclusive Longines L893.6 calibre equipped with a magnetically resistant silicon balance spring, the new Longines Pilot Majetek has a 72-hour power reserve. The entire watch head is chronometer-certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), an independent control body. This timepiece has a two-stitch strap, available in a choice of brown or green leather with beige topstitching. A NATO-type strap made of polyester fibre, created from recycled materials, is also available. With its strong character, the Longines Pilot Majetek is ideal both for everyday wear and for all your upcoming adventures, at any and every latitude.
Longines Pilot Majetek Specifications
REFERENCE NUMBERS
L2.838.4.53.0
L2.838.4.53.2
L2.838.4.53.8
CALIBRE
Full watch Chronometer officially certified
Longines self-winding exclusive calibre L893.6 with silicon balance-spring
Magnetic resistant
11½ lines, 26 jewels, 25’200 vibrations per hours
Power reserve of 72 hours
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes and small seconds at 6 o’clock
“Starting time indicator” with Super-LumiNova® triangle indicator
CASE
Æ 43 mm, 13.30 mm thickness
Cushion shape, stainless steel
Sapphire glass with multi-layered anti-reflective coating on both sides
Engraved caseback
Plate engraved with “1935” on the left side
DIAL
Black matt
Embossed indexes and Arabic numerals with Super-LumiNova®
HANDS
Rhodium plated hands with Super-LumiNova®
WATER-RESISTANCE
To 10 bar (100 meters)
BRACELET/STRAP
Brown leather strap with beige stitches (L2.838.4.53.0
4 Comments
In diving watches, I prefer solid casebacks without glass windows. Also in watches with movements with industrial finishes without something interesting to show.
¿Big?, I love it.
¿Crown guards? Perfect for me.
¿Thick bezel? ¡Good!
Front design successful.
From behind… everything changes badly.
The huge rear headstone trapped by 4 tiny little screws kills me. A threaded with a view to the movement would be my party.
I rather prefer the closed case back than an open case back to show the movement.
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