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Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition 43mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. L28381532
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 231 Longines watches in stock.The original Majetek was a military commission — Longines built aviation watches for the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1935, and this Pioneer Edition draws that lineage forward while refusing the nostalgic route. Where other heritage reissues lean on aged lume and fausse-patine finishing, this one goes entirely monochrome: matte sandblasted Grade 5 titanium, black dial, black strap, a commemorative plate screwed to the left flank of the cushion case as the only concession to the story behind it. It is limited to 1,935 pieces, the number chosen for the year of the original commission. At 43mm the cushion silhouette reads like an instrument on the wrist, which is appropriate, but the short downward-curved lugs pull it in closer than the dimensions suggest, and the full titanium construction brings the combined weight to 78.7 grams — noticeably less than the steel version and the kind of difference that registers after an hour in the air or a long day on the ground. The bidirectional bezel carries an internal luminescent triangle for marking an elapsed start time, keeping the function visible in low light without breaking the all-black face. The L893.6 is COSC-certified and built around a silicon balance spring, which removes the magnetic vulnerability that troubled older ebauches in cockpit environments — a detail that connects the modern specification back to the original operational purpose rather than simply decorating it.
- Reference
- L28381532
- Brand
- Longines
- Case size
- 43mm
- Case material
- Titanium
- Case shape
- Cushion
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- L893.6
- Functions
- Power reserve indicator
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Fabric strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
Learn more about Longines
Auguste Agassiz began trading watches in Saint-Imier in 1832, but the modern company dates from 1860, when his nephew Ernest Francillon built a factory in the meadows beside the Suze — the longines of the local dialect — and consolidated the scattered outworkers of the region under one roof.
Longines registered its winged hourglass in 1889. It is the oldest watch trademark still in continuous use.
The company's identity was built on precision and on timing things in public. It supplied chronographs for the first modern Olympic events it timed in 1896, timed the 1912 Federal Gymnastics Festival with a broken-wire mechanism accurate to a hundredth of a second, and developed the photo-finish camera and the quartz timing devices used across twentieth-century athletics.
Its aviation associations are equally deep. Longines instruments were carried by Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic in 1927, and the Hour Angle watch, designed to Lindbergh's own specification to simplify longitude calculation, remains in the catalogue. Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes both navigated by Longines.
The house was among the most decorated at nineteenth-century observatory trials, holding numerous precision records. Since joining the Swatch Group in 1983 it has occupied the accessible-heritage position: exclusive ETA-based movements, archive-driven designs through the Heritage line, and volume that makes it one of the group's most important brands.
- 1860
- Ernest Francillon builds the factory at Les Longines.
- 1889
- The winged hourglass is registered — the oldest watch trademark in use.
- 1912
- Broken-wire timing achieves hundredth-second accuracy.
- 1927
- Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic with Longines instruments.
- 1983
- Becomes part of the Swatch Group.
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
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 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
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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