One of the most recognizable, classic, 1950s-Mad Men era wristwatches ever made is the Longines Flagship, which is as solid a representation of the iconic notion of a “men’s dress watch” and/or “a good Swiss watch” as anyone has ever seen (all that buy-in to the latter concept contributed in no small part to the demise of the American watch industry, but that’s a story for another day). It was 1957 when the first Flagship came out and these three new commemorative versions are about as picture-perfect as a vintage watch homage gets.

There will be three versions offered: steel, yellow gold (not gold plate), and rose gold (ditto). All are powered by the caliber L609 (derived from the ETA 2892) and the gold models will be produced in a run of 60 watches each, while there will be 1957 steel watches made. We don’t have caseback shots yet, but the engraving of a caravel (a 16th-17th century sailing ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish for trade and exploration) will be on the back as well… More at Hodinkee.

The Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017 (long name!) is a stunning watch that takes us back to a time when watches were subtle, small and on your wrist to simply tell the time. Not cheap, but value for money in the wider watch world and something you would enjoy being with every single day.

The Panerai Lab-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech 3 Days (long name!) is a stunning watch for another reason. As with most Panerais it looks stupid, just my opinion, but a 50 year guarantee is included! Hodinkee explains how this is possible below-

The most impressive thing about the Lab-ID however, is that there are no traditional oils or greases used anywhere in the watch, which is what allows Panerai to offer a 50 year warranty. The new caliber P.3001/C has bridges and mainplates made from a tantalum-based ceramic, which contains a high percentage of carbon making lubrication of the gear train pivots unnecessary. Additionally, the lever and escape wheel are made of DLC-coated silicon, eliminating the need for oil on the escape wheel teeth.

Categories: Watches