A history of beauty combined with performanceThe Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7
Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, the famous Swiss watch brand can boast a long tradition characterised by the elegance of its products. The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 has been inspired by the brand’s rich history and its close relationship with the world of aviation. Performance and precision – which are essential qualities in this field – are abundant in this exceptional chronograph, which is fitted with the single push-piece column-wheel movement that was developed exclusively for Longines.
Its characteristic design, marked by an impressive diameter and angled dial, is extremely eye-catching and perfectly illustrates Longines’ famous know-how.
The model on which The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 is based was a superb amalgam of precision and high quality. Today, Longines presents this exceptional model which will no doubt go down in the annals of the brand’s rich heritage. At the beginning of the 20th century the name of Longines was closely associated with the pioneers of aviation – those men and women who attempted the impossible and left their mark on history. Guaranteeing precision and quality, Longines timepieces were an essential part of the equipment of these aviators during their exploits.
The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 was inspired by models developed during the 1930s that had to meet extremely stringent criteria from the point of view of appearance, quality and precision in order to be selected by aviators and bear the name “Type A-7” given by the U.S. Army. Their large diameter and fluted crown enabled them to be easily read and quickly manipulated, even if the pilot was wearing thick gloves. The angled black dial with its large white numerals also ensured easy reading in poor light or turbulence. The angle of the dial was specially designed for the chronograph to be worn on the inside of the wrist. This meant that the dial was aligned with the aircraft’s instruments and the pilot could read the timepiece without moving his or her arm or letting go of the controls.
The racy elegance of The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7 single push-piece chronograph immediately catches the eye. The steel case has a diameter of 49 mm and houses an L788 calibre, a column-wheel movement developed exclusively for Longines. The various chronograph functions – start, stop and reset to zero – can all be operated by pressing the single push-piece set in the fluted crown. In imitation of the aviators’ timepieces, the dial is angled at 50° to the right and features large white Arabic numerals, all of which make up the exceptional character of this timepiece. Its sleek appearance is enhanced by the tachometer scale around the outer edge of the dial and the Breguet minute and hour hands. The whole is mounted on a black alligator strap. Furthermore, the intricate workings of this exceptional piece can be admired through the hinged cover on the sapphire glass back of The Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7.