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Longines Majetek Black and Khaki Automatic 43mm Mens Watch
Ref. L28384538
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The original Majetek was a purpose-built navigator's watch commissioned for the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1935, and Longines has engraved "1935" into the left flank of this case to mark exactly that lineage. The cushion shape it revives was not a stylistic choice but a structural one — the curved case walls were the best way to anchor a large watch on a leather or canvas strap under flying conditions. That context explains everything about how this watch looks: the prominent fluted bezel, the bold Arabic numerals, the matte black dial that needs to be read at a glance. The internal rotating triangle, driven by the bidirectional bezel and visible through the sapphire, solves a problem the 1935 original handled differently — that watch rotated its entire crystal and glass assembly together, which made deep water resistance impossible. The redesign separates the two, keeping the elapsed-time function while allowing 100m rating. At 51.4mm lug to lug the cushion case sits closer to the wrist than a 43mm round case of the same width would, and the khaki NATO-style strap, made from recycled fabric, keeps the whole thing appropriately utilitarian. The L893.5 inside is an ETA A31.L91 developed to Longines' specification, with a silicon balance spring for magnetic resistance and COSC chronometer certification behind it. Seventy-two hours of power reserve means three days unworn before it needs resetting — practically useful on a watch that reads this directly as a tool.
- Reference
- L28384538
- Brand
- Longines
- Case size
- 43mm
- Case thickness
- 13.3mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Cushion
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- L893
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Fabric strap
- Strap colour
- Khaki
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 51.4mm
- 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.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 51.4mm, which suits wrists from roughly 17.5cm (7 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
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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