Longines’ association with the military included designing a pilot’s watch for the Czechoslovak Air Force, who requested a rotating bezel with a moving luminous hour marker. The Swiss watchmaker further worked on a curved cushion-shaped case, whose unique design was registered on April 1, 1935.
The resulting Reference 3582 model was engraved with Majetek Vojenske Spravy, which means Property of the Czechoslovak Army. Several series with different calibres were produced, and some 1,700 fighters were equipped with the pilot’s watches during the global conflict from 1939 to 1945.
