Longines Diver Chronograph

There is perhaps no more versatile complication than the chronograph. From race cars to rocket ships, boats to battlefields, you are likely to find a chronograph being employed to measure a plethora of tasks and times. From the Greek khrónos (‘time’) and gráphō (‘to write’), a chronograph is a watch that has the ability to record time, generally via the addition of small sub-counters that register minutes and hours. Though many storied brands produced notable chronographs during the complication’s heyday from the 1930s through the 1970s, numerous other firms fell by the wayside during the Quartz Crisis, folding completely and disappearing or being rolled up into conglomerates that pillaged their stores of parts. Thankfully, collector-favorite marque Longines is still alive and kicking, situated as one of the Swatch Group’s strongest mid-tier brands. This particular Longines Reference 8229-2 diver chronograph from the 1960s is a perfect example of the company's excellent offerings from the heyday of the tool watch: Housed in a stainless steel cushion case with a neat diver bezel, a signed crown, dual integrated 'pump' pushers, and an acrylic crystal, it features a wildly cool, matte-black dial with an outer rotating elapsed time bezel; luminous, applied 'baton' indices; a luminous 'baton' handset with a white minute hand and central chronograph seconds hand; and a triple-register chronograph display with two-tone totalizers.  Powered by a hand-wound Longines Cal. 330 movement, this incredibly diver's chronograph from the late 1960s combines 'Paul Newman' Daytona aesthetics with the functionality of a tank-like dive watch housing.   It’s just the type of fun tool watch that makes for a perfect weekender — or an excellent everyday option for the more aesthetically adventurous collector.