Longines 7150 Skin Diver

I’ve written multiple times here on why I love the 7150. I love all EPSA Super Compressors for the most part, but this design hits just right. One property of the 7150 that never fails to impress me is their sheer diversity. Some go grey, some go rusty, some go chocolate. It is a reference that wears its history on its dial more than most. For the most part, 7150 dials tend to degrade and discolour. Rare others just stay true to their original form. Today, we we’ve been treated to the safe queen variety and damn, it looks ace.

The 7150 was Longines’ initial generation of skin diver, featuring a 42mm Super Compressor case and an automatic cal 290. At 200m water resistance, it was as much a tool watch as anything out of Switzerland at the time. When worn on a simple NATO, it is one of the all-time great understated wrist aesthetics. Longines apparently agrees with me, as they reissued a variation of the 7150 a few years back, under the name Legend Diver. That reference doesn’t even touch the original, as far as I’m concerned.

This watch has taken its 60 year age with grace. The dial is sporting a warmth in its indices, matched through the handset. The inner rotating bezels used a different paint, unlumed. When original, they almost always contrast the dial with whiteness. That’s a good sign for originality. The same can be said for its crowns. The case is relatively strong. I may see slight roundness in the lugs, but it could be the black background. Honestly, it’s not really worth mentioning, the case is sharp. Its back is only lightly marked with the diver emblem proudly visible. It comes from a well-regarded UK retailer with its original box.

Find this 7150 here from The Watch Collector UK for 8995 GBP.