It seems Longines’ are starting 2024 off classy and sophisticated with two new limited editions from their Master Collection. The designs come in 18ct yellow gold or rose gold and arrive with Longines’ L.844.5 GMT movement, made visible through the sapphire crystal case back.
It’s not often you’ll find GMT complication on a dress watch. There’s plenty of pilot’s watches and sports watches equipped with such, which makes sense since these are typically a go-to, durable travelling companion. But what about those occasions when something a little more elegant is required?
Longines Master Collection has always been one of the Swiss watchmaker’s dressiest families, offering timeless aesthetics and some of their best technologies. The line now includes two limited edition models that fit these requirements. The Longines Master Collection GMT watches are limited to just 500 pieces each and are machined from a choice of 18 carat yellow gold or 18 carat rose gold.
The 40mm wide and 10.4mm cases are dressy in every sense. They are brightly polished and elect unadorned bezels and soft, sinuous lugs that lead onto grey alligator leather straps with solid gold pin buckles. The cases are topped by scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with several layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides, and a knurled crown is positioned at 3 o’clock. The crown is non-screw locked for a simple 30 metre water resistance.
Both Longines Master Collection GMT watches present a frosted silver dial at the centre punctuated by a sloped 24-hour scale in Arabic numerals reversed at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions for easy reading and golden Roman numerals and feuille-shaped hands. The black printed railroad minutes track matches with the fourth central hand used for the GMT.
I appreciate the fact Longines’ have decorated the second time zone hand in black here, rather than blue or red as is often the case with GMT watches. It’s very in keeping with the design’s dressy finish. I do wish they’d left out the date window at 6 o’clock however, as I think this would make the display all the more classy and clean.
Powering the Longines Master Collection GMT is the L.844.5 automatic winding calibre. The movement is based on the ETA A31.411 which arrives with a silicon balance-spring for magnetic resistance up to ten times greater than the ISO 764 benchmark standard. We’re also promised a 72 hour power reserve, 21 jewels and a frequency of 25,200vph.
As mentioned, the Longines Master Collection GMT watches are limited to just 500 pieces each and are available to order now for a retail price of £14,200.
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Longines
- Model: Master Collection GMT Limited Editions
- Price: £14,200
- Material: 18ct yellow or rose gold
- Movement: L.844.5 automatic winding
- Complications: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT, date
- Dial: Frosted silver with gold hands and markers
- Size: 40mm wide, 10.4mm tall
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: It’s a very elegant GMT watch and would be a nice travelling companion to wear on my more glamorous international adventures.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Anyone looking for that super dressy GMT watch.
- Best characteristics of the watch: The finish of the frosted silver dial looks very pretty, and I appreciate the GMT hand is done in black. Longines’ L.844.5 movement is also always impressive.
- The worst characteristics of the watch: I’d prefer it with no date window.
