Longines Admiral Diver

Both during the mid-20th century as well as today, Swiss brand Longines provided some of the best value in the watchmaking business.

With a wide breadth of notable designs, excellent manufacturing quality, and an interesting and compelling history, the Saint Imier-based maisonneeds no introduction. And though it’s operated as a mid-tier brand of the massive Swatch Group today, this has only served to strengthen the value proposition that is inherent in its catalog.

This particular Longines Admiral Reference 8557 from the 1970s is emblematic of the brand's incredibly creative 20th-century output. Housed in a 44mm tonneau-shaped case with hooded lugs, a captive crown, and an acrylic crystal, it features one of the most eye-catching dive bezels on the vintage market: Bright orange in color with black 10-minute indices and a luminous triangular pip at 12 o'clock, it's designed with serious divers in mind.

The matte blue dial, meanwhile, continues the colorful theme: With an outer open minute track, applied indices, a day-date display at 3 o'clock, and a luminous 'baton' handset with a silvered hour hand and a bright orange minute hand, this spectacular piece rivals contemporary offerings from DOXA for sheer legibility. Just wow!

Powered by the Longines cal. 508 automatic movement with a beat rate of 21,600 vph and a quick-set date function activated via the crown, this cool diver comes paired to its correct stainless steel multi-link bracelet — a nearly impossible-to-source accessory that considerably ups this puppy's 'cool' factor.

Beautifully patinated and ready to keep faithful time for another half-century, the Longines Ref. 8557 is a true horological gem. Who could pass up such a cool mechanical objet d'art?

Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, Longines was at the sharp end of the watchmaking spear during the beginnings of modern horology. Constantly innovating, the company devised some of the most important wristwatches of the 20th century. Indeed, by 1919, Longines was the official supplier of timepieces for the International Aeronautical Federation, working to develop highly accurate navigation chronometers for many of the era's great aviation pioneers.

Most famous among Longines' forays into navigation pieces is the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch, a wristwatch designed by famed aviator Charles Lindberg in conjunction with the brand to allow aviators to calculate, with the help of a sextant and a known latitude, their exact geographic location.

From the 1930s to the 1950s, Longines also released a series of stunning time-only watches. Often referred to as “Calatravas” after the iconic model by Patek Philippe, most of these watches had thin stainless steel cases at 32-35mm, standard sizes for the time. Like the Patek Philippe Calatrava, these timepieces were known for their perfect proportions and the elegant simplicity of their designs.

But it wasn’t just time-only watches that drew the attention of clients the world over — particularly in the Americas: The company’s caliber 13ZN, first released in 1936, is widely regarded as one of the finest chronograph movements ever devised by any brand. This development would form the basis of work in sports timing, in which Longines developed timepieces with flyback functionality as well as 1/100th-second counters.

Today, Longines produces a remarkable number of watches annually — over 1.5 million of them — and rakes in over $1B in annual revenue through the sale of everything from simple quartz watches to sophisticated moon phases and chronographs. Incredibly, they produced their 51 millionth timepiece in 2019 and in some ways, it feels like the brand is just getting started.

Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.