BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Longines has come out swinging for 2024 with a brand new solid gold GMT dress watch. We don’t often see Longines using solid gold in its watches, I think they use alternatives which give a similar look as a reflection of their audience’s preferences. In the Swatch Group’s pricing pyramid, Longines is in the lower section, above Swatch Watches and Tissot, but less pricey than an Omega, a Glashütte Original or something from further up the Swatch Group’s chain. That’s only a pricing pyramid, though, and it doesn’t reflect the history or past achievements of a brand. Longines is a celebrated name. 2023 was a good year for them, and they’re releasing two limited-edition watches, both restricted to 500 examples each, let’s see what these new pieces are all about.
First off, the cases. One is in 18k rose gold and the other in 18k yellow gold. Both pieces are modestly sized for today’s world, measuring 40mm x 10.4mm, and come with a grey leather strap with a “soft touch” finish and a buckle that matches the case material. Water resistance is 30m.
Both watches have a frosted silver dial with applied gold indices and gold hands. I really love Roman numerals on watches, while they don’t work with every design (imagine Romans on a Submariner!), I think they make dress watches look classy and this Longines certainly benefits from them. The dial is balanced by the date window which is a 6 O’clock and the applied gold Longines logo. There’s also the GMT function, which is subtle. The GMT hand points to the bezel where the 24-hour scale is located, in keeping with the dressy nature of the piece and the movement used, this watch can help you tell the time in two timezones, a moving bezel is required for more than two timezones and I think that’d spoil the look.
Speaking of the movements used, the automatic calibre L844.5 is in use here. It’s made by ETA but is made exclusively for Longines who have put it to work already in the GMT version of the Spirit Zulu Time and Hydroconquest watches. I’d need to see one in person, but the finish looks good; I like the gold rotor as well. The power reserve is 72 hours and it has a 3.5Hz beat rate, but it’s not a certified chronometer.
Overall, I like this new release, it looks classy and restrained. I’m not sure who the target buyer will be, though, as most people looking to buy a Longines are probably not looking to spend $14,750 on one. However, Longines’ sales numbers are enormous; they’re one of the highest-selling brands worldwide, so they’ve got a wide customer base to start with.
