In defense of the £14,200 price tag attached to the latest Longines Master GMT limited editions, you get a lot of watchmaking history, craftsmanship and engineering for your money.
The current economic downturn requires new thinking from mid-range luxury watchmakers struggling in an increasingly difficult four-figure sub-£5,000 price bracket. So perhaps Longines is taking a leap of faith in the demanding five-figure market and has become more robust.
The Longines Master collection was created to showcase the best of Longines. The line has now been expanded to include two GMT models in 18 carat yellow or rose gold.
500 pieces will be produced each.
They are powered by Longines’ automatic caliber L.844.5, which features a silicon hairspring and has a power reserve of 72 hours.
It is based on the ETA A31.LO1, which is exclusive to Longines.
From the back of the exhibition case, you can see the movement’s gold rotor with Cote de Genève finish, while the main plate is decorated with perlage polishing.
Both rose and yellow gold models feature matte silver dials with yellow or rose gold markers.
The second time zone is discreetly represented by a slim black hand circling a discreet internal 24-hour track on a beveled edge on the dial.
The package is completed by a leather strap with a buckle that matches the chosen gold of the watch case.
