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Heritage isn't just the English word for inheritance or legacy – it's also a common part of the name of various luxury watch models. As a rule, heritage watches are models that either pick up certain nostalgic design elements from past decades or, in their design and functions, carry on the tradition of a manufacturer's best-known watches.
The Longines Heritage Collection – Dedicated to a Great Watchmaking Tradition
While most luxury watch manufacturers carry only a handful of heritage watches in their lineup, others offer entire collections. A good example is Longines.
Under the name Longines Heritage Collection, the world's oldest registered watch brand offers around two dozen different models that recall great eras and famous watches from the company's own history.
Longines Heritage 1918, Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, and More
The range extends from the Heritage 1918, reminiscent of very early military wristwatches from the First World War, to the Heritage 1973, whose cushion-shaped case captures the aesthetic of the early 1970s particularly well.
These two models roughly mark out the period in which the originals behind today's Longines Heritage collection were produced. Longines took its 180th anniversary in 2012 in particular as an occasion to add several more models to its line of watches with retro charm.
Given the sheer number of different watches, only a few selected examples can be mentioned here.
One of the most famous wristwatches in this collection is probably the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, a re-edition of a timepiece created in 1931 specifically for the famous American pilot and aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh.
Watches such as the Weems Second-Setting, whose central sub-dial allows the seconds hand to be synchronized precisely with a radio time signal, the Heritage Avigation, and the Twenty-Four Hours likewise evoke the first decades of aviation history.
Telemeter Function, Military Models, and Dive Watches with Nostalgic Appeal
The Telemeter Chronograph is an eye-catcher thanks to its red telemeter scales alone. The origin of this relatively rare additional function of chronometers is also interesting: it is used to measure distances and is based on the fact that light travels faster than sound. If you see a flash of lightning, for example, and time the interval between the flash and the sound of thunder, you can measure how far away the storm is from your current location.
This method of measuring distance, however, was originally developed for military use. For instance, the distance to enemy troops could be determined from the timed interval between spotting the muzzle flash and hearing the shot. Besides the Heritage 1918 already mentioned, military watches feature several times in the Longines collection. The Military 1938, also available in a GMT and a chronograph version, belongs in this category, as does the Heritage Military COSD. The latter is modeled on a watch used by British paratroopers in the 1940s and is worn, true to style, on a green NATO strap.
Retro Dress Watches by Longines
Within the Longines Heritage collection, the role of the classic dress watch is filled mainly by the Conquest, Conquest Chronograph, and Flagship models, while the Railroad is likely to appeal above all to railway-loving watch enthusiasts and draws attention with a zero in place of the twelve.
The Heritage Legend Diver, water-resistant to 300 meters, appeals especially to divers with a nostalgic streak and recalls the era of the first great deep-sea expeditions.
The Heritage Diver 1967 with chronograph function, by contrast, looks decidedly modern, with its red bezel and white sub-dials setting striking visual accents.
Tudor Heritage: Re-Editions of Cult Classics
Tudor, Rolex's sister brand, has also released a whole series of Heritage models based on watches that have long enjoyed cult status among the brand's enthusiasts and collectors. In the Tudor Heritage collection, they are usually modified in certain design details or in the technology inside, so that, for all their nostalgic touches, they look somewhat more modern or outperform their predecessors in certain technical respects. The Tudor Heritage Black Bay, for example, continues the tradition of Tudor dive watches dating back to 1954.
Compared with the early models of this line, however, it is equipped with a new COSC-certified in-house caliber developed by Tudor itself and first presented in 2016.
A notable version of this model, by the way, is the bronze edition. The use of this rather unusual material not only started a trend that other watchmakers have since followed but also suits nostalgic heritage watches particularly well.
Its closest relatives within the Tudor "family" are the slightly smaller Tudor Heritage Black Bay 36, the "Dark" version launched in early 2017, and the Heritage Black Bay Chrono unveiled at Baselworld 2017, powered by the in-house caliber MT5813 with column wheel and vertical clutch. The Heritage Ranger, reminiscent of pilot's or military watches – a simple three-hand watch with a deliberately legible dial – the Heritage Chrono with its two distinctive sub-dials, and the Heritage Advisor with pointer date and alarm function round out the collection.
Retro-Style Elegance: Nostalgia from Tissot
While sportiness dominates Tudor's models, the watches in the Tissot Heritage collection are mostly classic and elegant. In most cases, the typography of the Tissot logo on the dial already hints that these are tributes to designs and models of past decades.
The spectrum ranges from designs reminiscent of the Art Deco style of the 1920s to models in typical fifties design.
One model in the Tissot Heritage collection that is especially interesting, and not just on the outside, is the Navigator Automatic 160th Anniversary COSC, available with either a light or a black dial. It revives the memory of a watch created for Tissot's 100th anniversary in 1953 and aimed specifically at pilots and frequent travelers.
A COSC-certified automatic movement ensures precise timekeeping.
The display of additional time zones is solved in a particularly original way here. The names of the reference cities for the various time zones are arranged radially on the dial rather than – as is often the case – abbreviated on the edge of the dial or on the bezel.
Once set to the desired country or time zone, the corresponding time can be read on the bezel's numeral ring.
At the same time, the dial's minute ring shows the current time in the remaining 23 time zones.
Classics Steeped in Tradition from Breitling
Breitling's lineup also includes several heritage watches, or models that can be classified as such.
Although there is no dedicated collection called Breitling Heritage, and only some models of the Breitling Superocean Héritage line carry the term in their name, several Breitling classics can safely be considered heritage watches even if they aren't explicitly called that.
Examples include the Breitling Transocean Chronograph 1915 and, above all, the Navitimer, which has become a true icon of the brand since its launch in 1952.
