LONGINES Heritage Military MARINE NATIONALE

This little belter is based on a Longines historic timepiece, the ref. 5744, a watch once worn by the Marine Nationale AKA the French Navy.

Not too long after the end of WWII, the Longines ref. 5774 was not only proudly serving crews of the French Navy above the waves – 

this little guy was used operationally by French military divers operating in shallow waters below the waves. Yes, this unassuming watch has more diving heritage than you’ll ever know.

For 2021 Longines has once again looked to its archives calling upon the Swiss brand’s rich history to revive yet another historic timepiece; however unlike the Legend diver this bad boy has a real story to tell. With its warm color pallet and modest size, the Longines Military Marine Nationale faithfully recalls the overall design of the OG MN model, namely by featuring its counterweight seconds hands. With its cognac leather strap and its golden opaline dial, the Longines Military Marine Nationale remains true to the military watch from which it draws its inspiration, while meeting today’s aesthetic and technical requirements.

The shape of the counterweight seconds hands, a detail rare in Longines watches, adds to the aesthetics of this timepiece. Those hands btw are in a lovely matte blue. 

And with its modest 38.5mm in diameter case the new Heritage Mil. MN for me is an almost perfect modern take on an historic timekeeper created at the time exclusively for the French Navy.

I say “almost” for purely selfish reasons because I’d prefer an additional millimeter or two but to be fair when compared to the OG model from 1947 with its 33.5mm case – 

this is already a big enough size increase. As per military requirements, the OG model featured a robust case and fixed bezel typical of military models and housed a reliable Longines historical 12.68N hand-wound movement.

These timepieces were identified using the letters “M. N.” for Marine Nationale, engraved on their case-backs. And as for the dial, it sports the words “Longines FAB. SUISSE", short for Fabrique Suisse AKA Swiss made. These two distinctive characteristics have been lovingly carried over to the current timepieces, which in true military diving fashion; also do not offer a date window. I wish more re-issues made use historic text, a detail that is so often overlooked. Meanwhile continuing in the spirit of the OG timepiece, the back of the current version is screwed while a domed Sapphire crystal sits atop the watch’s lightly grained dial with hour circle and hands coated with brown Super-LumiNova.

The modern Longines Military Marine Nationale houses an automatic movement, the L888.5 caliber with a silicon balance spring, developed exclusively for Longines. 

The Si balance spring also means that this watch should also be magnetic-resistant. Water-resistance is limited to 30 meters so not exactly hardcore (obviously) but still totally suitable for shallow ops’. ;) 

Its Swiss MSRP is 1'900CHF.

Thoughts? I absolutely love this watch – yes, it’s a bit on the small size (for me) but the overall aesthetic, the heritage, it’s all hard to resist. And say what you will this is a diver, folks!

In fact watches like this make you reevaluate exactly what we perceive as a “diver” – they also make me want to be a better watch collector; trust me there’s nothing quite like a little understated refinement for achieving that badass look (not the look above - too matchy matchy with the tan on tan!)

So what do you think?