Longines has been killing it lately with its vintage-inspired watches, and now the brand is throwing a chronograph into the mix. The Longines Avigation Big Eye is, according to the brand, a reissue of a military chronograph released in 1971. Legibility is draw here, manifesting itself in the chronograph’s minute counter, which disproportionately bigger than the rest of the watch’s sub-dial for easier reading (hence the name “Big Eye”). Similarly, the watch is bestowed with large, raised Arabic numerals – given a healthy dosage of lume that stand out against a deep black dial.
The watch case is a middling 41mm in diameter. Inside ticks away Longines’ Caliber L688, an automatic column-wheel chronograph. The watch also gets a domed crystal and a rustic-looking brown leather strap. Vintage-inspired watches are nothing new, but few feel quite as well rounded as the Big Eye.
