Today we’re offering you a look at an attractively priced vintage inspired watch, the Longines Heritage 1935.

Okay, so retro-styled watches are hardly anything new in today’s watch market, but I’m not complaining. While the later half of the “noughties” was all about oversized and overdesigned watches, so far this decade has proven to be a “back to basics” one, where less is more. And in this rather nostalgic era, what better source of inspiration for watchmakers to draw from than their own history?

Luckily for Longines, they have quite an illustrious heritage to take cues from, one that spans nearly two centuries. One of the newer releases in Longines’ line of vintage-inspired pieces, the Heritage 1935 takes cues from a particular military watch Longines made in the 1930’s for the Czech Air Force during World War II (Monochrome compared the original one with this rehash here).

 photo by Duwan via Monochrome Watches

The Heritage 1935 comes in a 42mm cushion case with a round coin-edge bezel, a perfect reproduction of the original Czech Air Force watch; albeit 2mm larger in diameter, which isn’t a bad thing considering the watch’s proportions. Unlike the original however, the bezel on the Heritage 1935 doesn’t rotate and therefore lacks the triangular marker that would otherwise sit just above the dial.

One of the most obvious features is the watch’s crystal, significantly raised and slightly domed. While it does succeed in producing a retro look, I wish the crystal were more domed with smoother rounded edges, producing that “bubble” effect like the original. On a brighter note, the crystal doesn’t have any anti-reflective coating on the outer surface, meaning you don’t get that blue glare.

The dial is clean and legible, an almost perfect reproduction of the one from its antecedent. Done in black, the dial’s surface is neither glossy nor completely matte. The thick Arabic hour markers are rounded with white outlines and generous amounts of luminous paint. The cathedral hands with pointed tips are the same shape, filled here with Superluminova and finished in a metallic rhodium tone. Even the original script for the brand name has been preserved.

And speaking of Superluminova, I was slightly disappointed by how dimly the material glowed, especially considering the sheer amount of it present in the hour markers and hands. I guess they had to find a compromise between getting the right tint of green and its luminescent properties. . Still, I’m happy Longines decided to stick with a more natural greenish Superluminova, which I prefer over faux-Tritium cream color luminous paint.

Save for the date aperture at 6 o’clock, eating up the lower part of the small seconds sub-dial, the dial is pretty darn close to perfect. And while the date function wasn’t present on the original, I do understand Longines’ decision to include it, as their average customer may not necessarily be a watch collector or connoisseur who cares all that much about historical accuracy and probably appreciates having a date indication on his/her watch.

The watch is fitted with a solid vertically satin-brushed caseback (please excuse the sticker mark in my photo), concealing a trusty ETA 2895 automatic movement within. Even though the original 1930’s watch came with a manually-wound Longines pocket watch caliber, a reliable automatic workhorse movement makes perfect sense in a watch like this.

On the wrist the Heritage 1935 hits a certain sweet-spot, where the 42mm case sits comfortably right on the centre of the wrist. It’s got the kind of looks that could make it a daily wearer, seamlessly blending into smart and casual settings alike.

The Longines Heritage 1935 comes with a relatively reasonable price tag of $2’300 USD, making a strong contender for a vintage-inspired piece that would fit in any watch collection.

A special thank you to my friends at Watchonista for letting me get my paws on the watch and making this review possible.

You can find Watchonista’s review here.

More information on www.longines.com