By Jovan Krstevski
When it comes to speed measurements, I often think about racing and it never came to me that the heart is practically racing too and can also be measured. Here comes the new Longines Pulsometer Chronograph — a medically inspired watch presented at the 2015 Baselworld. The good guys from the Longines team decided to give it a go and the result is pretty much interesting and actually useful. They practically overcame inconsistencies and although I have doubts for such devices, I’m quite pleased with the 30 pulses required to give accurate heart rate readings.
Alright, too much medical talk, let’s go and examine the watch which is of course a thing of beauty — what else do you expect from a Swiss Made watch? The quality is excellent and the look is simply remarkable plus you don’t even need to be a doctor to wear one. The 40 mm round case is made of high quality polished stainless steel giving off a very smooth surface. Actually, if there’s someone who made polished steel to self-clean fingerprints then I’ll be very happy to commend them but so far this case is also prone to fingerprints so if you have oily fingers better have a fiber cloth at hand for that spotless smooth look. The dial, lugs, and the crown are all mated to that wonderful steel appearance and the result is nothing but an elegant finish. Of course the case is concluded by the Sapphire crystal with several layers of anti-reflective treatment.
That classic appeal is even boosted by the white lacquered dial featuring readable arabic numerals and chronograph markers. I like the overall appearance of the dial, sort of a half-mixed classic-contemporary style thanks to the inconsistent font usage courtesy of the date reading at the 6 o’clock. At least you’ll love the Breguet-type blued steel hands which honestly is very nice to look at. The red pulsometer scale printed from the 2 to 9 o’clock positions signifies both urgency and precision in a perfectly executed design.
The power comes from an in-house self-winding mechanical movement Calibre L788.2 (ETA A08.L11) featuring a single push-piece and column wheel chronograph mechanism. It is capable of providing up to 54 hours of power reserve which is very remarkable considering its pulsometer feature. The movement can be viewed through the transparent caseback. The chronograph function provides reading for Central 60 second hand and the 30 minute counter at the 3 o’clock. The watch also features up to 30 meters of water resistance.
For that professional and playful look, you get to wear this watch with a classic Brown alligator strap with buckle. To sum it up, this is indeed a splendid watch — a showcase of great engineering and harmonious design.
For more info, please visit longines.com
JOVAN KRSTEVSKI – FOUNDER, PROPRIETOR & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Watch collector, aficionado and an Event profile in the Swedish nightlife. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ His passion jump started in his early teens, when he was given his first mid-range wristwatch which was an Omega Seamaster. Since then he has always been in love with wristwatches! Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. Read his articles here.
