Pre-Owned Longines Longines Super Compressor 'Jumbo' Diver 40991643/AS09063

The Submariner and the Seamaster aren’t the only stars of the dive watch world.

In the 1960s, Longines made beautiful divers housed in “compressor” cases. 42mm wide and featuring dual crowns — one to adjust the time and one to operate the internal bezel — these special cases became more watertight the deeper one dove by compressing the caseback against a rubber gasket system - brilliant!

Its worth noting that from a technical standpoint, a compressor case wasn’t any better at preventing water intrusion than a screw-down caseback. But it was one attempt at improving the functionality of a watch that was, first and foremost, built to do a job. Despite their functional limitations — and due to their good looks — compressor cased-watches proved to be popular during the 1960s.

Since the Reference 7042 was revived in 2007, the iconic diver has seen many iterations maintaining the signature super compressor design. But like with all things — nothing beats the original.

This particular example is a Reference 7150-1 and dates back to the 1960s. It features a ‘Jumbo’ sized 42mm stainless steel EPSA case with its distinct dual crown layout. Its gloss black dial is protected by an acrylic crystal and features heavily patinated markers, cardinal ‘Arabic’ indices and the distinctive ‘shovel’ hour hand. Powering this awesome example is the equally cool and original Calibre 290 automatic winding movement.

The classic template for the dive watch is a timeless design and that’s exactly what the Submariner and Seamaster are built on. But it’s the DOXAs and Aquastars of the world that have put out many interesting takes on the dive watch. Longines blended both of these worlds with their Super Compressors. It has the serious diver aesthetic with just enough distinctive cues to separate it from a 'traditional' diver's watch.

We don’t see these oversized examples surface often, and theres no telling when or where another will again. So if you’re looking for a serious vintage diver with tons of character and a great story to add to your collection, then we suggest that you act fast!