Are you tired of me talking about tribute replica watches yet? I hope not, because this is a really awesome one. Longines has been featured in The Value Proposition a number of times, and for good reason. Out in Saint-Imier, they've done a nice job of digging back into the company archive for successful designs of days gone by and then recreating them without (as most companies do) screwing them up somehow. The latest example of this is the Heritage 1969 and it's one of the better replica watches on the market today under $2,500.
The Longines Heritage 1969 is a no-nonsense fake watch that gets the details just right.
Longines has done a lot of the hardcore reissues over the last few years, and most have been really good. Both the Conquest Heritage 1954-2014 and the Heritage 1935 fall into this category. Likewise, the Heritage 1969 is inspired by an actual fake watch from that time period (which you can see here), but instead of being available in steel, gold-plate, or 18k gold, it's available in a two-tone steel and rose gold configuration. The case is steel; the dial silver, and the markers, hands, and logo are rose gold-colored (but not actual rose gold). Importantly, this allows Longines to keep the price down on the watch. The Heritage 1969 will set you back $2,050.
ADVERTISEMENTThe fake watch itself is basic enough. It's a 36mm square cushion case with lots of curved surfaces that are all polished, and a three-hand dial with a little date window down at 4:30. It definitely straddles 1960s mid-century minimalism and the funky geometry that dominated the 1970s. It certainly looks vintage-inspired, but you could easily wear the fake watch without anyone thinking you're a throw-back.
Using a steel caseback that snaps on is a charming nod to 1960s watchmaking.
Often, at this price point, brands skimp on the little things. It's tough to blame them ?keeping costs down for products with long, winding supply chains is rough stuff, and compromising on the last 5% is sometimes the only option. Unfortunately that can make for less-than-compelling watches. The Heritage 1969 is a departure from this paradigm though. The brushed finish on the dial, in particular, is better than any I've seen on a fake watch anywhere close to this price point. There are a lot of $10,000 replica watches with dials that don't look this good.
It doesn't end there either. The hour and minute hands both have grained centers and polished edges, which are very legible and complement the polished applied hour markers nicely. The Longines signature and "automatic" printing are both razor sharp, even under a Loupe System loupe, and there's a hint of texture to the numerals on the date wheel too.
All in all, this dial punches way above its weight class from top to bottom and is definitely the highlight of the Heritage 1969.
The brushing and printing on the dial makes this fake watch look a lot more expensive than it is.
There's another creative solution here too. Machining crisp geometry is an expensive step in watchmaking that not many people truly appreciate. For every angle or surface, a CNC machine needs to be set to a new axis and run again. I won't get too into the weeds, but things like faceted lugs and multi-finish bezels are really costly. Instead of creating a compromised version of something like this, Longines leaned into a less expensive manufacturing technique: stamping. The Heritage 1969's case has rounded edges and is polished evenly throughout. In this case, however, it looks purposeful and handsome instead of like a compromise, and the decision to go with a snap-on caseback adds some more vintage charm. The Longines-signed crown is a final little touch that prevents a wearer from thinking "budget" at any point.
On the wrist, the Heritage 1969 wears a lot like a real vintage watch.
That snap-on caseback is solid steel with a brushed finish, so you won't see the movement ticking away inside. That's probably not a terrible thing either. The movement is an automatic Longines caliber L888.2, with a 64-hour power reserve. It's a rebranded ETA A31.L01 (Longines is a member of the Swatch Group, remember), which itself is basically an ETA 2892 with a longer power reserve (64 hours vs. 45 hours). This is not a fake watch that's all about mechanics, but it's not trying to be.
At 9mm thick, the Heritage 1969 is easy to wear.
ADVERTISEMENTOn the wrist, the Heritage 1969 really sings. Like I mentioned above, the cushion case is 36mm square (approximately 9mm thick) and it wears a lot like a vintage watch. It's also lightweight without feeling chintzy or cheap, so this time of year it's quite as imposing as a gold dress watch. I think with a rougher strap you might be able to get away with this as a casual watch, but personally I think it excels as a dress fake watch on the matte black alligator strap it comes on. It slides under a cuff effortlessly and more than one of my HODINKEE colleagues gave me the classic "Wait, what's that?" when I was wearing it around the office.
At the end of the day, you'd be hard-pressed
Overall, it's hard for me to find much wrong with the Heritage 1969, especially considering the price point. I'd likely still be writing this story if the fake watch was twice the price, in fact. It's a quality fake watch that wears well and Longines cut corners smartly where they could and paid attention to the details that most watchmakers forget at this price point. Consider me impressed.
The Longines Heritage 1969 will go on sale this fall, with a retail price of $2,050. Visit Longines for more and we'll update this story with an official release date as soon as one is announced.
Longines The-value-proposition Longines Conquest VHP Chronograph 9881