Over the past few years, the Longines Heritage collection has quietly become one of the most comprehensive and well-designed groupings of vintage-inspired timepieces of any brand. The Heritage Collection has run the gamut from classic dress pieces to ‘60s-style divers and beyond. The latest addition to this lineup, the limited-edition Heritage Military 1938, draws from Longines’ rich military field watch history to deliver a modern reinterpretation of one of the brand’s classic interwar models.

While quite large at 43 millimeters, the overall stainless steel case of the Longines Heritage Military 1938 remains classically simple with a few modern upgrades, such as an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. With such clean, basic lines, little details are allowed to come to the fore. For example, the slightly oversized cushion crown at 3 o’clock becomes a visual highlight, as does the beveling on the polished bezel. The water resistance of the case, however, is equally faithful to the 1938 original at 30 meters.

The dial of the Heritage Military 1938 cleaves very close to its original inspiration, as well, once again allowing the small details to shine through. The polish of the rhodium-plated baton hands, the crisp design of the Arabic numerals, the warmth of the tan Super-LumiNova, the subtle snailing finish on the sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock, and the clean regularity of the outer railroad minutes track are all given ample visual room to breathe for a balanced and extremely legible overall design.

Inside the Longines Heritage Military 1938 is the Calibre L507.2 hand-wound movement. A reworked version of the ETA 6498/2, this powerplant features 17 jewels and a 53 hour power reserve.

Longines offers the Heritage Military 1938 with a pair of straps. Both of these, a distressed anthracite gray leather strap with minimal stitching and a cognac NATO strap with signed buckle, play off the patinated look of the watch well and offer some everyday versatility in terms of wear.

The Longines Heritage Military 1938 is available now on the brand’s website at a price of $2,450 and limited to 1,938 pieces.