Longines Legend Diver NO DATE 300m Swiss Automatic 42mm Complete Collectors Set

A bit of personal experience

I can’t recall where I was living, but I made my way back to see my parents for the holiday. My Dad and I were out in the garage with a beer — as we do — and he had a new Longines Legend Diver No Date on this wrist. Now, my Dad has a knack of finding “neat” watches and I think that this one qualifies. We’ll get to why in a bit. But back on topic… I think my Dad bought this around 2011 and that coincides with the gradual cancellation of the model. He must have read this and went on the hunt. What he found was that Topper Jewelers bought a mother lode (ironically, they’re in California) of these No Date models and had them on sale for something like $1,400. And so a sale was made.

Curmudgeons and their (lack of) buying

When it comes to watches, it’s really easy to make comparisons to cars. Some call it trite, some people are just cranky about everything, and some, like me, just don’t care. So yes, here comes another parallel with our four-wheeled friends. I read a lot of auto news and when a new car debuts, the “purists” always complain when there’s no three-pedal option. However, the reality is that no one buys a proper manual these days (Mazda Miata aside) and even the purists are probably driving old things with no intent to buy. The same goes and apparently went with the Longines Legend Diver No Date.

People always want to see a watch without a date or with a manual movement, but the truth is that these watches just don’t sell. Well, they don’t sell in the type of numbers that make sense for a massive brand like Longines. So, in the 2011-2012 timeframe, the Longines Legend Diver No Date gave way to the current Date version. By the way, it does seem that the “No Date” lived on for a while longer in Japan — the land of limited eccentric items — because I saw them in department stores in 2014. Not buying one was a mistake, but I had gone overboard on JDM Seiko that trip.

The market and today’s candidate

Unsurprisingly, the secondary market has embraced the Longines Legend Diver No Date. And therefore, the days of $1,400 prices are long gone. For reference, the current date version lists for roughly €1,800 on rubber. Today’s No Date, though, the least expensive piece I found is on Chrono24 and it’s a full set. It also happens to cost €3,250. When you’re thinking about this watch, go have a gander on the internet to look for other pieces. You’ll be surprised about how few you actually find.

This is as Complete a Collectors set as you will find, Including the “still wrapped” Hard Cover Legends Book, Very Rare Beads of Rice Stainless Steel Bracelet (Brand New) & the very rare Longines Lapel Pin! If you are looking for a No Date Legend to keep in your collection, this is the one!