Longines Admiral

Longines introduced their Sport collection in 2007. At the time, it was comprised of the Admiral, Conquest, HydroConquest, and Grande Vitesse series. However, this wasn't the Admiral's first appearance. Over the course of several decades, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer had offered a different range of models under the same name. Thus, if you search for the Longines Admiral , you'll likely find many different watches from throughout the company's history.

The Admiral collection contains everything from modern, water-resistant chronographs to historical diving watches and vintage dress watches with solid gold cases. The series is appealing to a wide variety of watch fans, not least of all thanks to its affordable prices. Most Longines Admiral watches cost less than 1,000 USD. However, Longines no longer produces this series, so mint-condition models are becoming more and more rare.

The 2009 GMT Admiral is one of the most interesting watches in this collection. The automatic caliber L704.2 provides this timepiece with an additional hour hand that makes one complete rotation per day. It points to a 24-hour scale on the bezel, thus displaying the time in a second time zone. The Admiral GMT has a 42-mm stainless steel case and is water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft). You'll never have problems telling the time thanks to wide, light-colored baton hour and minute hands and the bright red GMT hand with a triangular white tip.

This GMT watch is available with a black, white, or ivory-colored dial. Newer models tend to have ceramic bezels and a two-tone stainless steel bracelet with ceramic-coated middle links. One older example is the ref. L3.668.4.56.6 . Prices for this model range from 1,100 to 1,500 USD on Chrono24. If you'd prefer a timepiece with a ceramic bezel, you should take a closer look at the ref. L3.669.4.06.7 . This watch has a gray bezel and costs around 1,900 USD.

The Admiral collection is also home to a number of chronographs, including the 42-mm ref. L3.667.4.56.7. This timepiece features a black ceramic bezel with a tachymeter scale. Its power comes from the chronograph caliber L705, which is based on the ETA A07.231. This movement lends the watch a 30-minute counter at 3, a date display at 6, and a small seconds at 9. Colorful accents include a red chronograph seconds hand and a red hand on the 30-minute counter. The stainless steel bracelet's middle links are coated with the same black ceramic as the bezel.

You can purchase this chronograph on Chrono24 for about 2,900 USD new and 1,900 USD pre-owned. The ref. L3.667.4.06.1 offers the same features but with a gray dial and bezel. This version changes hands for roughly 2,300 USD in mint condition. Pre-owned pieces are much more affordable at around 1,500 USD.

Chronographs with Valjoux Calibers

Longines also produced Admiral chronographs with famous Valjoux calibers. For example, the ref. L3.670.4.76.6 features the Longines caliber L686 , which is based on the Valjoux 7754. This automatic chronograph movement also has a GMT function. There are subdials at 6, 9, and 12 o'clock, as well as a date display at 3. The dial is white and surrounded by a stainless steel tachymeter bezel. The second, chronograph seconds, and GMT hands all stand out in bright red, while the other hands are white. Longines mounts the 42-mm stainless steel case on a five-link stainless steel bracelet with polished middle links and a butterfly clasp. Be sure to have about 1,900 USD on hand for a never-worn model.

Vintage Admiral watches with solid gold or gold-plated cases sell for anywhere from 430 to 3,300 USD. Many older models have five stars on their dials – a former trademark of the series. Back then, watches were much smaller than they are today. At 35 mm in diameter, these timepieces are the perfect size for slimmer wrists.

The 5 Stars Gold is a fantastic example. This 18-karat gold timepiece also features a golden dial, as well as golden hands and indices. Watches from the 1970s come with the Longines caliber 503. This movement is based on the Record 1958 and ticks at a rate of 19,800 or 21,600 alternations per hour (A/h). Plexiglas protects the dial. This model costs around 1,600 USD, depending on its condition.

Vintage Admiral diving watches from the 1970s are 44 mm in diameter, making them quite a bit larger their more elegant counterparts. They pair a round dial with an oval or rounded square case. Fans of watch design from this decade are sure to love these timepieces. Longines also equipped these models with automatic calibers, such as the Longines 508.

Many of the dials have deep blue and bright orange or red color schemes. Even though they may look like diving watches, you should err on the side of caution before wearing one of these Admirals in the water. Very few models come with a depth rating on their dials or case backs. Even if they do have one, it's unlikely to still be accurate after more than 40 years. It's worth taking the watch to a watchmaker, who can assess its current level of water resistance. Prices depend on the watch's condition and rarity and range from 1,000 to 2,100 USD.