Introduction to the Longines Record
Longines is one of the oldest and most well-known luxury watchmaking brands in the world. Founded in 1832, the Swiss brand has an incredible record of horological innovation. In 2017, Longines took their tradition of innovation one step further by introducing their first collection of certified chronometers. The Longines Record collection comprises a range of simple watches, offered in four different sizes along with a variety of dials. If you are looking for a sleek watch that has a high level of timekeeping precision, the Longines Record collection is a great choice.
What Is a Certified Chronometer?
A chronometer is a watch that is designed to keep accurate time in spite of extreme environmental conditions. Another way of explaining this is by considering a metaphor. A sports car is a type of car that can drive faster and perform better than an average car. Not all cars are sports cars, but all sports cars are cars. The same thing can be said for chronometers. Not all watches are chronometers, but all chronometers are watches. The Longines Record collection includes some of the most accurate watches that Longines manufactures, taking the usual Longines precision to an entirely new level.
Who Certifies Chronometers?
Any brand can describe their own watches as chronometers. However, the watch-buying public tends to believe that a watch is indeed a chronometer when it is certified by an independent third party. The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) is the largest chronometer-testing laboratory in Switzerland, and the world. On an annual basis, COSC certifies approximately 3% of the entire output of the Swiss watchmaking industry.
COSC certifies all the watches in the Longines Record collection, subjecting them to a 15-day testing protocol that conforms to ISO 3159. The testing protocol requires that the movement of the watch be tested in different positions and temperatures over a 24-hour period. These are meant to simulate the most extreme weather conditions that a watch may be exposed to. A COSC-certified Longines Record is one of the most precise watches manufactured today.
Sizes and Styles of the Longines Record
The Longines Record is available in a range of sizes, which makes it fit well on any wrist size: 40mm, 38.5mm, 30mm and 26mm. In addition to the various sizes, a choice of a leather strap or metal bracelet and six different dial variations are available with the Longines Record. The white dial with Roman numerals (L2.821.4.11.6) is perhaps the most classic style. If you prefer Arabic numerals, a dial version including them is available in black, blue or silver. Diamond hour indexes are great for a more formal style and are available on a black lacquered dial version (L2.321.5.57.7). And if you prefer a simpler bar index style, take a look at the silver dial version (L2.321.4.72.2).
High Technology Balance Springs
All the movements in the Longines Record collection use a silicon balance spring, which is made using nanofabrication techniques. Nanofabrication is a manufacturing method that is focused on manufacturing at the nanometer scale (one-thousandth of a micron). This high level of precision is also used for manufacturing the chips that power your computer and smartphone.
Silicon is a metalloid element that brings certain very desirable material properties to a mechanical watch movement. First, silicon is not malleable, meaning it cannot be bent out of shape. This helps ensure that the balance spring is always perfectly flat when installed in the mechanical watch movement. In addition, silicon is largely antimagnetic. Magnetism is an issue for mechanical watches, especially when considering the small and sensitive hairspring. Using an antimagnetic material to start with makes a world of difference.
It is remarkable to consider the history of the metal balance spring. Invented by Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens in 1674, the balance spring has remained largely unchanged for centuries. Certain improvements have been made, like the introduction of thermo-stable alloys, but the recent change to silicon balance springs was a major step forward for the entire watchmaking industry. More and more brands, like Longines, are beginning to use silicon balance springs in their mechanical movements.
Longines Record Pricing and Availability
The Longines Record collection is a fairly recent line of watches, but there are still many high-quality examples available for sale on the preowned market. Great prices can typically be found on the smaller versions of the Longines Record in stainless steel, while examples of the Longines Record in the larger 40mm case size generally sell for more. Whichever size and style of the Longines Record you choose, you can be sure that a COSC-certified chronometer watch will always keep you on time.