Longines Svegliarino 2361 Review

Another blue dial integrated bracelet design watch from the 70s but with some charm.

Sizing and wearability:

Measuring at 37.5mm in diameter and 43.5mm lug to lug, This TV dial style watch wears like a 40mm round watch. The integrated bracelet design completes an elegant seamless look. The one downside is the thickness of the watch, which at 14mm does make it hard to wear with a dress shirt but given the functions it is packing, it’s hard to fault it. 

Movement:

The Longines L680.1(25 jewels variant) is based on the AS(Adolf Schild) 5008, nicknamed the Brainmatic. It is considered the pinnacle of mechanical alarm movement prior to the quartz crisis. It took everything JLC, Seiko, and Vulcain has done over the years and made a complete package. It allowed for dual quickset for the day date, which only Seiko came close to (Bellmatic day was still a semi-quickset). It allowed for bidirectional winding (via 360 degree rotor) for both the alarm and timekeeping function (Both Bellmatic and Memovox did not have this function). Pulling out the 4 o’clock crown activates the alarm, which was similar to Seiko, but opposite to JLC. In an age where the alarm function is more of a novelty, I feel like having the alarm off with the crown pushed in, is much more preferred since it’s safer for the movement longevity. Other aspects of the movement were not lacking either. It has dual barrels (one of each function), 4Hz (Hi-beat for the 70s), 40 hr power reserve, hacking, hand winding for both functions, dual language date, instantaneous day change over, and 5 min accuracy for the alarm interval. The only thing this movement was inferior compared to this competitor during the time was not having the alarm hammer strike the double caseback like the Vulcain or Memovox. This movement used a tone spring which made the alarm sound softer. It also did not have the minute accuracy of the Omega Memomatic alarm function. 

Side Note: Modern variant has 31 jewels and day date is in the 6/12 position and uses ball bearing rotor rather than sleeve bearing (LJP - La Joux Perret 5800 / 5900 - Added GMT)

- Eg: Montblanc, Maurice Lacroix, GP, and Panerai

Case and Dial:

Classic 70s TV Dial design (I would not consider it a cushion shape watch because the crystal shape is also non-circular). Crystal is made of acrylic or plexiglass. I’m unsure of the watch resistance when it was new, but like any vintage watch, I’d keep it away from water. The blue dial consists of two different textures and shades, a vertically brushed darker blue in the center, and a matte finished lighter blue on the outer portion. 

Overall:

It is one of the most complete packages for a vintage alarm watch in terms of function. It tells a story of human ingenuity in the pursuit to make accurate and reliable reminder tools before computers made it obsolete. It also happens to borrow some of the most iconic watch designs from the 70s.

I go into more detail on the history of mechanical alarm watch in my YouTube review:

https://youtu.be/rTnEzdCIod4