Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Small Seconds Review: Dress Watch Elegance for the Everyday Collector

by Tyler Frederick

All Dressed Up

This review was a bit outside my comfort zone as I don’t usually wear a dress watch or collect in that space. While I enjoy dressing up for events, I typically rely on the same watches for dressier occasions: the Timex 1959 Marlin Reissue or a rose gold Orient Bambino; both look fantastic and fit perfectly under a shirt cuff. When I had the opportunity to check out the Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Small Seconds, I was slightly hesitant, but I LOVE the watch and wanted to give it a try, so here we are.

Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Small Seconds — ^{Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo @horologyobsessed}

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Key Features of the Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Small Seconds

Minimalism

In 2017, the 2nd year of my collecting journey, was when I discovered Longines, and the watch that drew me down that rabbit hole was the Heritage Classic 1945. The vintage styling, brushed copper dial, and blued hands, along with the small seconds at 6 o’clock, all appealed to me, which is surprising considering most of my wearing habits revolve around dive watches. While I loved that watch, I didn’t explore that love much deeper. Fast forward to 2020, with the initial release of the Heritage Classic Tuxedo, and I was hooked immediately. There is a chronograph along with the small seconds version, but I preferred the clean and minimalistic look of the small seconds. It screams “nice suit, cigar, old fashioned, go.”

Dead Sexy

First word that came to mind when I looked at the watch was “sexy.” It’s thin with such an attractive dial and is a perfect representation of a dress watch done right. It’s not flashy, it’s not overcomplicated; it’s just simple and so, so good. I’m the type that enjoys more casual wear, but the Tuxedo made me want to dress nicer in my day-to-day. Let me be clear, I’m not a slob in any regard, and even my “casual” is picked to look nice and go with the watch I’m wearing that day, but the Tuxedo made me want to wear nice shirts and the occasional blazer more than usual; it brought out the “classy” in me.

Easy to wear, easy to love

It’s a watch that’s easy to wear and easy to love. Sure, I keep making comparisons to more sophisticated attire and the finer things in life regarding how I feel when wearing it, but it’s also fantastic for daily use due to its subtlety. Swap it onto a different strap or even a mesh for the day, and switch back to the leather when it’s time to go to dinner or an event that may or may not be related to watches; the perfect example of “you can dress it up or dress it down.”

Specs

Case	316L Stainless Steel 38.5mm Diameter 49.4mm Lug-to-Lug 11.6mm Thick 19mm Lug Width 30m Water Resistance
Dial & Crystal	Sapphire Crystal Tuxedo Sector Dial Small Seconds Raised Markers Pencil Handset Super-LumiNova
Movement	Longines L893 Automatic 25,200vph 64-Hour Power Reserve
Strap	Black Leather

Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Small Seconds

Quibbles

The first point is quick: 19mm lug width—why? Longines tends to use odd lug widths, predominantly 19mm and 21mm, which can make finding a strap difficult. Manufacturers are better now, but it’s still an odd choice. The second point is the use of the Longines Calibre L893. I’m the type who likes to romanticize an object like a watch, and having an automatic movement in this feels slightly…wrong. A manual winding movement would have been an amazing choice and would create a stronger connection between the wearer and the watch. Turning the crown, putting energy into the mainspring by hand, taking a few seconds every day to just sit, unwind, wind, and admire the watch—that would have been perfect. I understand that may not be possible unless they created a new movement or implemented something like the Peseux 7001, but I can dream.

Final Thoughts

The Heritage Classic Tuxedo Small Seconds: I don’t want to use the word perfect, but it’s pretty close. It’s a watch full of vintage charm that brings out my suit-and-tie side or evokes a sudden desire to visit a jazz bar, enjoy a nice cocktail, and relax for the evening—a watch that defines class and elegance. If you’re looking for your next dress watch or something you can easily enjoy day-to-day, I strongly suggest checking it out. Thank you, as always, to our friends at Gem Bijou for giving me the opportunity to review yet another beautiful piece from their pre-owned collection.

About the author

Born into a family obsessed with motorsport, Tyler Frederick became enamoured with speed and beautiful cars at a young age. His love of Formula 1–and all things mechanical–eventually lead him to horology. You can follow him on Instagram.

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