LONGINES "Nonius" Flyback Chronograph ref.8225-1 cal.538

— A challenge aimed at precision —

In the late 1960s, Longines took a highly original approach to a difficult problem: raising the precision of the chronograph.

The answer — stepping into territory conventional measurement could not reach, and pushing at what a chronograph could be — was this watch, the Longines Nonius.

A late-1960s masterpiece built in pursuit of precision: the Longines Nonius. An inventive construction that reads to a tenth of a second at the hand tip, on the principle of a vernier scale. Fitted with the flyback Cal.538, a descendant of the celebrated 13ZN. An asymmetric dial that makes it a historic collector's piece.

— The idea behind the Nonius —

A tenth-of-a-second scale is laid along the tip of the chronograph hand, so that readings can be taken to 0.1 second on the principle of a vernier caliper.

It made a precision of reading impossible on an ordinary chronograph — and that originality is why it is called the Nonius, the vernier chronograph.

— The beauty of calibre 538 —

Cal.538 is built on Cal.CH30, the flyback movement that succeeded Longines' famous Cal.13ZN.

It carries forward the lineage of Longines chronograph engineering while combining beautiful bevelling and finishing with real practicality.

— The appeal of asymmetry —

Where most watches put the brand logo at twelve, this one sets it at nine. A single 30-minute register sits at three, and the asymmetric layout is the model's signature.

Visual character and function live together here, and the result is an iconic collector's piece.

— The name "Nonius" —

Abroad the watch is called the Nonius, after the Portuguese mathematician Pedro Nunes.

It is a fitting name for a model that brought the idea of precise measurement into a wristwatch, and one that stands for Longines' appetite for technical enquiry.