A new titanium model with a more technical and monochromatic appearance
Known for its many attractive vintage re-editions, inspired by some glorious watches of the past, Longines last year reintroduced an important historical pilot’s watch, the Czech pilot’s watch known as the “Majetek Vojenske Spravy” or, more simply, the Pilot Majetek.
Following a 2014 model, this reintroduction was done with style and boldness. Now it’s time for a limited edition made of titanium, with a more technical and monochromatic appearance, the Pioneer Edition of the Pilot Majetek.
The modern Pilot Majetek, like the 2014 Longines Heritage 1935, is a modern interpretation of Longines’ Czech pilot’s watch developed in the 1920s and supplied to the Czechoslovak Air Force in the 1930s.
The watches were marked as Majetek Vojenske Spravy, meaning “property of the military administration,” earning them the nickname Longines Majetek among collectors.
The 1935 model produced by Longines to fulfill the order of the Czech army had a 40 mm cushion-shaped stainless steel case, a black porcelain dial with large white Arabic numerals and a fluted rotating bezel with an internal marker.
Rotating the bezel with the triangular marker and the crystal in unison allowed for various simple but useful timing functions to be performed. A large case was needed to accommodate the 15-94 pocket caliber and to operate it while wearing gloves.
The watch was anti-magnetic, reliable and well-built to survive in a dangerous environment.
Like many modern reinterpretations of past models, Longines did not opt for a completely faithful reproduction and last year presented the steel Pilot Majetek, which was bolder, more technical, larger and generally more modern.
That said, it did incorporate an important element that was missing from the 2014 edition: the rotating bezel.
This year, the collection has been expanded with a special series in grade 5 titanium, an alloy that is both lighter and stronger than steel.
This new Pioneer Edition undoubtedly benefits from the use of titanium, as we are dealing with a fairly large watch measuring 43 mm in diameter, 13.30 mm in height and a substantial length of 51.40 mm.
Needless to say, it’s a pilot/military watch on the wrist, with a presence reinforced by the cushion shape of the case.
That said, titanium is approximately 30% lighter than steel and contributes to making this new Majetek Pioneer more comfortable to wear. The case is mostly brushed, adding a darker gray color to this watch and a more technical/instrumental feel.
True to the vintage watch, the Pilot Majetek now returns to its original construction with a fluted bidirectional bezel coupled with the internal luminous movable triangular marker, or Start Time Indicator.
The latter is positioned under the sapphire crystal, from which it is independent and above the dial. In the historical 1935 model, the bezel and crystal equipped with the marker rotated as a single unit. In this modern edition, the sapphire crystal is fixed and contributes to the water resistance of the new case.
This Pioneer Edition of the Majetek retains elements of the steel version, such as the solid caseback secured by four screws, a screw-down crown with side guards and water resistance of 100 meters.
The left side houses a commemorative plaque engraved “1935”, which contains the patented gear mechanism for the bezel coupled with the triangular marker.
To match the technical look of the titanium case, this new Pilot Majetek is equipped with a black grained dial, with raised hour markers and Arabic numerals coated with Super-LumiNova gray, with a bluish emission, compared to the beige SLN of the steel version.
The hands, as well as the track for the small seconds, receive the same treatment with a gray color.
Inside the case is the caliber L893.6, an automatic movement specifically developed and exclusively to power the watches of the Longines Heritage collection by ETA.
It is COSC certified. It operates at 25.200 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of up to 72 hours, as well as anti-magnetic properties with its silicon spiral.
The finishing touch to the instrument comes from the strap. No more retro-style brown or dark green leather straps, but a black technical fabric one closed by a titanium buckle. It comes in a special Heritage box of the same color.
The Pioneer Edition of the Longines Pilot Majetek is launched in a limited series of 1,937 pieces, which are already available at the brand and its retailers. It has a price of EUR 5,300, USD 5,000 or CHF 4,550.
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