Horological Meandering

foversta
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Hands on review of the Longines Avigation BigEye

Sorry for this delay: I have just seen that Anthony published the press release of this watch and I realized that I totally forgot to post my review written in... September.

One of the good surprises of the post summer period is the Avigation BigEye chronograph proposed by Longines. This watch, inspired by a chronograph of the early 70s, is in my opinion very successful because it manages to reinterpret the principle of an oversized minute counter (which explains the name of this chronograph), without any flaw nor unnecessary additional feature. Moreover, I pinched myself several times before being able to believe it: the BigEye doesn't have any date window and that changes everything!

I imagine that the idea of ​​adding one was in some people's minds at Longines (you know, the big principle according to which a watch with a date display is more successful commercially speaking ...) but it is the virtue of the oversized counter : it reduces the free space on the dial! This is not its only asset: it brings character and dynamism to the dial. Just imagine the same watch during twenty seconds with three subdials having a similar size: you get a nice and very balanced piece but which would be already seen 50,000 times and mostly conventional and a little boring. The minute counter is distinguished by its size of course but also by its scale featuring 3 minute marks. As the hours counter also contrasts with the the second hand subdial, the dial offers 3 very different subdials and this original side greatly contributes to the aesthetic success of the watch. However it manages to remain in a very classic style. The semi-gloss black color of the dial is nice and the circular finish of the sub-dials breaks the consistent side.




The readability is optimal thanks to the excellent contrast between the hands, the SuperLuminova coated figures and the black dial. As for the minute counter, it fully plays its role and the information is readable without any problem. My only criticism on the dial side is the presence of the word "Automatic" under the name of the brand, an useless precision and an eternal bad reflex from the brands.


The steel case has a 41mm diameter which is, considering the style of the watch, perfect. The whole remains balanced, the counters don't "squint" and the black background of the dial reduces the perception of size. On the other hand, the prominent pushers have the opposite effect: they reinforce the visual impact of the watch and give a punchy style. I like them very much because they are faithful to the military atmosphere and make the chronograph more energetic. The caseback is solid and offers an engraving featuring a stylized aircraft, simple and pretty.




The movement that powers the Avigation BigEye is not visible and it is not for me a big problem. Here again, the solid caseback is consistent with the inspiration of the watch. And the caliber L688.2 is not so amazingly beautiful even if it is prettier than a 7750 taking into account the presence of a column wheel. This movement, developed by ETA for Longines is not an evolution of the 7750 even if it includes elements of the latter. It has a clean architecture and a superior power reserve (54 hours) for an equivalent frequency (4hz). Longines has been using it for 5 years and it is therefore a reliable and proven movement.



The test on the wrist of the Avigation BigEye has reinforced my initial feeling: the watch is very successful, balanced and has enough details with character (pushers, minutes counter) to define its own personality. The calf strap is also very flexible and offers a nice texture. In conclusion, the balance sheet is extremely favorable: Longines draws attention with this very successful chronograph and I hope that its very reasonable price (2.530 euros in France) will favor the sales to bring the demonstration that the presence of a date window is far from being mandatory to get a commercial success.



Thanks a lot to the Longines France team.

Pros:
+ an aesthetic success
+ the performance of the movement L688.2
+ the reasonable price
+ no date display

Cons:
- the word "automatic" on the dial