Hands-On: Longines Avigation BigEye Titanium
Launched just earlier in the year, the Longines Avigation BigEye in titanium is a follow up to the original, which was historically faithful in terms of the design. The new titanium version, however, is more compelling. The titanium BigEye retains the same design, but gets a new look with the blue dial and titanium case. Both substantially change its look and feel for the better, while retaining the usual affordability of Longines’ many remakes. Initial thoughts The new Avigation BigEye departs from the typical Longines formula for remakes, which to faithfully reproduce as far as possible, right down to the spotting on old dials. In contrast, the Avigation BigEye in titanium preserves the design of the remake, but renders the dial in a clearly modern texture and colour. And of course the case is titanium. Notably, the new Avigation BigEye, along with other recent remakes like the Legend Diver in bronze, appear to mark a shift in Longines’ strategy for its historically-inspired watches. Instead of concentrating merely on one-for-one replicas, Longines is making them more interesting with modern colours and materials. That’s a good thing, especially given the obvious fact that Longines’ designers have shown themselves to possess a good eye. They manage to tweak existing designs while preserving the spirit of the original, as demonstrated by the BigEye in titanium. The result is a lightweight, and good looking watch. It does have the shortcomings of the steel versio...
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