Longines Master Collection

Longines introduced the Master Collection in 2005. The series is exclusively comprised of automatic and manual mechanical watches. The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer uses this collection to pay tribute to their past successes and achievements.

The Master Collection contains the most exquisite timepieces in the Longine catalog, including chronographs with a calendar and moon phase display. You'll also find models with four retrograde displays for the date, day, small seconds, and GMT function. Retrograde refers to the fact that the hand jumps back to the starting position at the end of every cycle. These models also feature a moon phase indicator. The Master Collection is home to simple automatic watches with a date or day-date display as well. Diamond-studded women's watches round off the collection.

Chronographs with a calendar and moon phase display are among the most impressive models in the Master Collection. These wristwatches are available in stainless steel or 18-karat rose gold. The latter is paired with a brown alligator leather strap with a triple safety folding clasp. Its silver dial features a subtle barleycorn pattern and Arabic numerals, while blue leaf hands underscore the chronograph's refined, classic feel. You can purchase this gold watch for about 5,400 USD pre-owned. Mint-condition models demand about 7,200 USD.

The stainless steel editions are markedly more affordable. They are available on an alligator leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. You can also choose from a silver dial with Arabic numerals, a black dial with Roman numerals, or a blue dial with applied indices. Models with a blue dial also have a sunburst pattern, lending these timepieces a slightly sportier feel than their more classic sister models. One example is the ref. L2.773.4.92.0, which is mounted on a matching blue alligator leather strap. Perhaps the sportiest version of this watch comes on a stainless steel bracelet. This model sells for roughly 2,700 USD, while the variant on a leather strap costs about 110 USD less. Pre-owned pieces change hands for around 1,600 USD. Watches with a silver or black dial sit in a similar price range.

Every model displays the date via an additional central hand featuring a crescent-moon-shaped tip. This hand points to the date around the dial's edge. You can read the current day and month within the chronograph's 30-minute counter below 12 o'clock. The 12-hour counter and moon phase indicator occupy a subdial at 6 o'clock. At 9 o'clock, you'll find a combined small seconds and 24-hour display. The caliber L678, which is based on ETA's Valjoux 7751, powers this timepiece's many functions. Since it's an automatic movement, the watch winds itself using energy from the wearer's movements, so there's no need for manual winding. When the movement is fully wound, the power reserve lasts for 48 hours.

Retrograde displays are rather rare on wristwatches, and something quite special. These displays have hands that jump back to the starting position upon reaching the end of their scale. Some models in the Master Collection have four retrograde displays for the date, day, small seconds, and 24-hour GMT display. These watches have a day indicator and day/night display at 12 o'clock. The smalls seconds dial sits at 6 o'clock, just below the moon phase indicator. The 24-hour and date displays occupy the left and right edges of the dial, respectively. Setting and correcting the various displays takes place via four push-buttons on the side of the case.

Longines equips these models with the caliber L707. This automatic movement has a 48-hour power reserve. A sapphire crystal case back offers a view of the movement within.

The stainless steel edition is available with a silver or black dial. Both versions use Roman numeral hour markers. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal protects the dial and its many displays from the elements. You have the choice between a three-link stainless steel bracelet or an alligator leather strap. A triple fold-over clasp with two push-pieces guarantees a secure fit on your wrist. You can purchase a never-worn timepiece with four retrograde displays and a leather strap for some 2,900 USD. Pre-owned models demand about 2,400 USD. The version on a stainless steel bracelet is only slightly more expensive.

The moon phase display is among the most popular watch complications, making it a perfect fit for the Master Collection. Longines produces numerous three-hand watches with a moon phase. The biggest differences between the models are their dials, which come in your choice of black, silver, or blue. You can also choose from applied indices, Arabic numerals, or Roman numerals. Each watch has a 60-minute scale around the outer edge of its dial, as well as a dual pointer date and moon phase display just above 6 o'clock. Longines pairs these 42-mm timepieces with a leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal on the front and back offers a clear view of the dial and the automatic movement.

The caliber L899 ticks away inside Longines Master Collection moon phase watches. This movement is based on the ETA A31.L91 and has a 64-hour power reserve. Longines achieves this improved power reserve by lowering the balance frequency from 28,800 alternations per hour (A/h) to 25,200 A/h.

A mint-condition Master Collection moon phase watch on a leather strap sells for around 2,000 USD. Models on a stainless steel bracelet cost slightly more.

The Longines Master Collection contains several chronographs with two or three subdials. Watches with three subdials have a 44-mm stainless steel case and a silver or black dial. Arabic or Roman numerals mark the hours. There's also a 30-minute counter at 3, a 12-hour counter at 6, and a small seconds at 9 o'clock. A date display at 4:30 completes the dial.

Longines outfits these timepieces with the automatic chronograph caliber L688. The Swiss company ETA produces this movement exclusively for Longines. It's based on the ETA A08.231 with a column wheel. Many watch enthusiasts agree that this system is better than the cam switch, which you can find in movements like the Valjoux 7750. The caliber L688 has a 54-hour power reserve and ticks at a frequency of 28,800 A/h. You can call this chronograph your own for around 2,400 USD.

At 40 mm in diameter, models with two subdials are a great choice for smaller wrists. These watches are available with the same dial-color and index options as the 44-mm editions. With only two subdials, these timepieces have a much tidier design than their counterparts with three subdials. However, they can only time periods of up to 30 minutes since they lack an hour counter. The date display has also shifted from 4:30 to 6 o'clock.

The caliber L651 powers the 40-mm chronographs. This automatic movement is based on the ETA 2894 and has a 42-hour power reserve. Prices for this model range from 1,100 USD pre-owned to about 2,200 USD new.

If you prefer simple three-hand watches with a date display, you'll find plenty of interesting options in the Master Collection. Like much of the Master Collection family, these 42-mm timepieces are available with a silver, black, or blue dial. When it comes to the hour markers, Longines uses Roman or Arabic numerals, narrow indices, or even diamonds on a few two-tone models. The diamond-studded editions have a distinctly feminine feel and make fantastic women's watches. Each timepiece is mounted on an alligator leather strap, stainless steel bracelet, or two-tone stainless steel and gold bracelet.

The Longines caliber L888 , a modified ETA A31.L01, ticks away inside every three-hand Master Collection watch. This movement has a balance frequency of 25,200 A/h and a 64-hour power reserve.

You can purchase a never-worn watch on a leather or stainless steel band for as little as 1,600 USD. Pre-owned models generally cost a few hundred dollars less. Two-tone editions with diamonds cost roughly 3,300 USD.

Every women's watch in the Longines Master Collection comes with an automatic movement, and that's no small matter. Many manufacturers use precise, battery-powered quartz movements in their small and flat women's models. The smallest timepieces in the Master Collection are especially compact, with a diameter of only 25.5 mm. These watches look best on more delicate wrists and are the ideal accessory to be worn with evening wear, for example. The 18-karat rose gold models with a diamond-studded bezel and mother-of-pearl dial are particularly elegant and feminine.

In keeping with the trend toward large timepieces, Longines offers a selection of larger watches for women. However, with case sizes of up to 38.5 mm, many models also work as unisex watches. Diamond indices decorate some of these stainless steel and gold two-tone timepieces . Basic three-hand watches with a date or day-date display are particularly practical. With any luck, you'll find pre-owned Master Collection women's watches for under 1,100 USD, and new models starting at 1,300 USD. New watches with diamonds on their bezels and dials require an investment of around 3,600 USD.