The Value Proposition: The Longines Avigation Type A-7 1935, An Unusual Pilot’s Watch That Will Slowly (But Surely) Grow On You
Trench coats, bomber jackets, combat boots. Military gear has never been so fashionable. The same goes for military-issued wristwatches. Those made in times of war have never been so collectable. But unlike the items of apparel listed above, which are now considered classic menswear, wristwatches styled after those made during the first half of the 20th century look, well, dated. None more so than the new Longines Type A-7 1935. But stick with me here, I promise it’s worth it.
The Type A-7 1935 is based on a real single-button chronograph produced by Longines and Meylan during the 1930s, and sold to the U.S. Army Air Corps. What you see below is what most would have looked like back then (and it’s the model Longines chose to bring back when the company first relaunched the A-7, a 47mm whopper I might add, in 2012). But a few examples were also made with porcelain dials featuring large Gothic numerals, and that’s the look that the 1935 we have here is based on.
The Longines Avigation Type A-7 1935 is a very beautiful watch, but, objectively, an unusual one that seems like it would be very difficult to pull off in the modern civilian world. And that’s precisely why I thought it would be interesting to give the watch a proper try. How would others react? And would I quickly tire of the novelty of wearing such an unorthodox watch?
A quick glance at the Longines Heritage collection lets you know pilot watches are very much part of the manufacture’s history. Most of the pilot’s watches the company makes today, such as the Lindbergh Hour Angle and the Twenty-Four, are based on early-20th-century models that went a long way towards addressing problems in navigation, or, in the case of the Type A7, were used as actual tools for the military.
Before I talk about the size and wearability of the watch – certainly things we need to address – let’s talk about the angle of the dial. Yes, it’s crooked. Yes, it takes some getting used to. But no, you won’t get a sore neck from looking at it.
It took what felt like an embarrassingly long amount of time …read more
