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Longines Avigation BigEye 41mm Mens Watch
Ref. L28161932
Sits in Longines’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Longines watches we list, which start at £1,050.
Price range £1,050 to £22,850 across 113 Longines watches in stock.Longines has been supplying chronographs to aviators since the early days of civil and military flight, and the BigEye draws directly from that history — specifically a 1930s cockpit design in which the 30-minute counter was enlarged to fill almost the entire upper half of the dial, so a pilot under pressure could read elapsed time without hesitation. That oversized sub-dial at three o'clock is still the defining feature, and the petroleum blue dial, grained and shaded rather than flat, shifts between deep teal and near-black depending on the angle of light in a way that suits the instrument-gauge aesthetic better than any conventional sunburst finish would. The titanium case keeps the watch noticeably lighter on the wrist than its 41mm footprint and 14.5mm profile might suggest, which matters on a long flight or across a working day. The L688 — an ETA A08 built to Longines tolerances — runs on a silicon balance spring, making it resistant to the kind of magnetic interference that is routine in cockpit environments, and its 66-hour reserve means a weekend off the wrist will not stop it. The column-wheel chronograph engages with a precision the specification table cannot capture: it starts cleanly and stops without bounce. The screw-down caseback carries aviation engraving, and the titanium pin buckle means the strap hardware matches the case rather than sitting in contrast to it — a small decision that reads as considered rather than accidental once you notice it.
- Reference
- L28161932
- Brand
- Longines
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 14.50mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Titanium
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA A08.L01
- Functions
- Chronograph, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 66 hours
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 66 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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