A favorite of pilots and jet-setters alike, Longines continues to be one of the brands — watchmakers or otherwise — most symbolic of the early days of aviation. In 1908, the Swiss firm debuted its original dual timezone watch, which was the first of its kind, but it kept pushing forward from there with a plethora of pilot’s watches released over the decades. And in recent years, the watchmaker has tapped these vintage references as inspiration for their newer releases, such as the Spirit Zulu Time, the Hydroconquest, and the Pilot Majetek — which is currently getting a titanium-focused update for 2024.
Last year, Longines looked into its historical catalog, finding a special 1935 model commissioned by the Czech Air Force to aid its pilots. They wanted the new watch to sport a rotating bezel with a triangular arrow to mark a given flight’s elapsed time. Along with the bezel, the model also had greater readability with its large 40mm case diameter — quite large for the time.
Maintaining an antique aesthetic, the 2023 Pilot Majetek still gave some modern updates such as a 43mm stainless steel cushion case with a fluted bezel, along with lumed minute and hour hands and a seconds subdial at the bottom. However, this time around, the triangle nose on the bezel didn’t rotate with the crystal over the face.
Needless to say, vintage-styled or not, 43mm for a steel pilot watch is quite hefty. As such, detractors were quick to complain about the bulk of last year’s Pilot Majetek. One way watchmakers have mitigated heavy timepieces is to swap in lightweight materials — namely, titanium.
Dubbed the Pioneer Edition, this new update for 2024 keeps most things the same as last year’s version: the overall design, the 100m of water resistance, and the COSC-certified Longines L893.6 Caliber automatic movement with 72 hours of power reserve. However, implementing grade 5 titanium for the case reduces its weight by 1.77oz (now 2.77oz total).
Giving the watch a slightly more modern appeal, the titanium also begs for a changeup in the dial design, slightly. Rather than the gold-bronze colored hour markers over the black dial, they’re now a shade of gray, glowing blue at nighttime. Likewise, the hands now feature gray lume fills. Eliminating one of the three “colors” brings uniformity to the overall aesthetic. Adorned to the case is a rugged (and apparently rigid) black fabric strap.
Case Size: 43mm
Lug-to-Lug: 51.4mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
Water Resistance: 100m
Movement: COSC-certified Longines L893.6 Caliber automatic
Band: Black fabric strap
Limited Edition?: Yes, 1,935
Unlike the steel version, the Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition is limited to 1,935 pieces, and also more expensive with a $5,000 price tag (versus $3,750). Head over to Longines’ website to learn more.
Longines swaps in a titanium case for its Pilot Majetek from last year. Originally in steel, the 43mm timepiece was inspired by a 1935 model commissioned by the Czech Air Force.
