Of the pantheon of storied Swiss watchmakers, Longines is one of the oldest and most well respected. Founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz, Longines is celebrating this year with the launch of the Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary, comprising a trio of elegant dress watches with stunning and traditionally engraved dials.
A decade shy of two centuries is a long time, to say the least, with 1832 being the same year Greece was recognised as an independent nation, putting the length of Longines history into some context. The anniversary collection Longines has released this year is a tribute to this impressive legacy, attempting to encapsulate the very best of what the Saint-Imier-founded watchmaker has created over that time.
While Longines might be known today for its approachable HydroConquest diving watches, or its reputation for making quality pilot’s timepieces, the core of Longines offerings over the years have been in classically styled dress watches. At the end of the day, three hands are all you really need to tell the time, and Longines has consistently made some of the best time-only watches in the game, which is exactly what we’re getting with the Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary.
Within the new collection are three similar watches, each with its own personality. Featuring a steel reference, as well as an 18-carat yellow gold version and an 18-carat rose gold, each watch brings a very different feeling to your wrist with respective dial finishes to compliment their case metal.
All three feature 40mm cases which are just 9.35mm thick, keeping them slim enough to effortlessly slip under a shirt cuff, while being substantial enough to deliver a substantial wrist presence. They all sapphire crystal feature exhibition casebacks to show off the movement within, helping guarantee the watches to 30m of water resistance and commemorating the 190th anniversary with a special engraving.
The dials are the real star of the show, however, all of which feature a historical Longines logo in pride of place at 12 o’clock. The reference in stainless steel features a silvered dial with a lightly sandblasted texture, black engraved Arabic numerals and wonderfully blued steel hands, all of which are framed by a concentrically brushed minute track that has also been engraved. Top drawer stuff.
The pair of precious metal references feature similar treatment, but with slightly different approaches. The yellow gold reference features a vertically brushed grey dial with gold engraved numerals that match the alloy of the case and the gold hands. In contrast, the rose gold reference has a grained anthracite dial with rose gold-tone hands and engraved Arabic numerals, which look a treat against the darker dial hue.
Beneath the dials of all three references in the Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary is the Longines exclusive calibre L888.5, which contains a cutting-edge silicon balance-spring and has 72 hours of power reserve when fully wound. It’s a tried and true calibre from Longines, which has faithfully served in a number of the brand’s other collections.
Appropriate for a traditionally executed collection of timepieces, all three watches arrive on an anthracite alligator strap with what Longines describes as a “soft touch” feeling. The stainless steel reference is secured with a button-actuated folding clasp, while the two gold versions can be strapped to your wrist with a gold buckle to match their respective alloys.
Far from breaking new ground, the Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary is a tribute to the history of what Longines does best, taking the brand’s most classical watchmaking elements and presenting them in a modern feeling package. While most of us might not need a dress watch very often, the quality of the dial engravings is enough to see them easily deserve a spot in your weekly rotation.
The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary in steel is the only member of the trio that isn’t a limited edition and arrives with an RRP of $3,450. Both the versions in yellow gold and rose gold are global limited editions of 190 pieces, and both have an RRP of $17,250.
This article is sponsored by Longines. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
