Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Longines · Legend Diver
Longines Legend Diver 40 mm Slate Grade
Reference 43078OR.97
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Legend Diver
- Model
- Longines Legend Diver 40 mm Slate Grade
- Reference number
- 43078OR.97
- Year / era
- 1979 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 58E — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1979 – 1984
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Longines Legend Diver 40 mm Slate Grade sits within Longines's Legend Diver line, introduced in 1979. It carries the house codes established since 1832 — grade 5 titanium case, slate grey dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Longines
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1832
- Founder
- Auguste Agassiz
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Master Collection, HydroConquest, Spirit, Legend Diver, DolceVita, Conquest
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Shock-absorbing movement mounting · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- High-beat automatic · Automatic chronograph · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- Longines Master Collection 44 mm Green Ceramic (1974) · Longines Master Collection 40 mm Meteorite 18k (1964) · Longines Master Collection 41 mm Black 18k (1998) · Longines Master Collection 44 mm Skeletonised Sapphire (1969)
Brand history
Longines has spent more than 194 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Master Collection, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Auguste Agassiz established Longines in 1832, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Longines calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1832
Auguste Agassiz founds Longines in Switzerland.
1872
Longines earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Longines to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Longines enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Longines continues to produce Master Collection, HydroConquest, Spirit and other icons in limited numbers.
More Legend Diver
Longines Legend Diver 39 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Ref. 97694OR.45
Longines Legend Diver 40 mm Silvered Quartz
Ref. 84280OR.62
Longines Legend Diver 42 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Ref. 14044ST.37
Longines Legend Diver 43 mm Slate Sapphire
Ref. 49165OR.27
Longines Legend Diver 40 mm Skeletonised 18k
Ref. 73624OR.26