Watch Review | Longines Master Collection 190th Engraved Dial

Alvin
1 day ago
7 min read

Updated: 22 hours ago

Apologies Longines fans, this review is long over due. Is it too late, is this dress watch too 'long in the tooth' or maybe it's too long in the lug? Is it, I love you Longines time or so Longines for now...let's stop longing out the puns, and find out.

It's been a while since the Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary L2.793.4.73.2 joined the, errrm, collection. I can start with getting my primary peave out of the way, the name is not a an actual name, it's the name of a collection. Surely, this exsquisite dial deserves a name. Longines have many dress watches, and they all have names...wait a minute it seems I have misunderstood. The model name is Master, it's the Longines Master...? Collection, though is stuck on every single model (over 100 pieces) behind the Master, so it's the Master Collection then?

But why would one watch be called collection. It's a proper noun not collective noun then, honestly, you'd think it was a Chinese brand. It's like calling your child 'Louis-Ulysses Chopard Family 1915 Birthday'. Is it? Kinda, I don't know, I'm confused. Anyway, moving on.

Background.

Longines has a lot of background as a brand, it was founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. That 190th anniversary then was in 2022. Old school indeed. It is the best entry level heritage luxury brand out there. I have always thought this, and in buying the Longines Conquest GMT, for around £900, it was confirmed. The minute, no, the second I saw the engraved dial, I was sold on it. I digress, the original watchmaking workshop was founded by Auguste Agassiz and two partners (whose names AI didn't provide me). Then in 1852, Agassiz’s nephew Ernest Francillon took over the business. In 1867, Francillon built a factory in Saint‑Imier on a field called “Es Longines”, which gave the brand its name; the factory and HQ have stayed there ever since. He was the first to engrave serial numbers of watches. They did (non-exhaustive list) the ;

first chronograph pocket watch (1878)
first two time zone pocket watch (1908),
one of the first wristwatches (1911)
first two time zone wristwatch (1925)
first dual pusher flyback chronograph wristwatch (1934)
world's first high-frequency wrist chronometer (1959)
first quartz-controlled wristwatch (1969)
first timepiece breaking the 2mm thickness (thinness) barrier (1979).

It's quite the list, though they kept speed with others the legend petered out a bit in the 80's/90's a bit. Saying that, to top it all off, in 2025 they signed up Henry Cavill as brand ambassador - The People's Witcher. The End.

Alright darlin', careful now, there's a horse coming and it's not clear that Henry is wearing trousers... | Credit: Longines.com

Contrary to some tales, Longines is not the oldest watch brand in terms of founding date, but it is often cited as the oldest watch brand name trademarked in the International Registry at WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). There are even older brands like Blancpain (founded 1735) and Vacheron Constantin (1755). Still, pretty legendary though.

A year after the 190th anniversary of Longines, in 2023, I was sitting around and thought, wouldn't it be nice to celebrate the 191st anniversary of Longines with a purchase from their 'Master Collection' collection. It was dark day, the rain fell, it fell hard. Actually I can't remember if it was, but being in England it probably was. And long story short, I bought my second Longines timepiece.

Purchase / Post / Packaging.

I purchased this little beauty from the Subdial store on eBay, back then I don't think you could make offers on their website, so I made a cheeky one and it was accepted. I was impressed with Subdials service, communication and packaging - they've become one of the best since. Obviously, it was a while ago, so details may be irrelevant now. It came with a subdial spec sheet, and was in great condition. The box is a walnut type, mahogany type situation. It exudes the sexiness one expects from a luxury watch brand, got that Tudor, Zenith et al, step up the game - disclaimer my Zenith is old(ish).

Case, Dial & Hands.

This is the showstopper, the pièce de resistance, the gob-smacker, the finishing move, it's a thing of beauty - which I'm reliably informed - is a joy forever. The engraved dial is a such a rarity in the horological mass market, that Longines blew the doors off the vault with this one. It's a niche feature, it's not a complication, but I'm sure it's a bit complicated to produce en-masse. See this image below, look at the 12, it's got curves in all the right places, oooweee.

The numerals are the focus of the dial and they are given the space to shine, literally, the light catches the bevelled angles in the best way. The detail, the curves, the lack of anything else on the dial, it's all aimed at engrossing you in the engravings. Even the hour markers are on the chapter ring. This is a nice detail.

To keep it all classy and legible, the blued hands are sleek and long. The minutes hand is almost as long as the seconds, but it works, it doesn't look odd or out of place. The matt, dappled silver/grey dial extends onto the chapter ring, a seamless transition, that is just interesting enough to not be boring. The brand name and automatic in small script keep this low-key state going. It's elegant but edgy, and is well executed.

The hour markers on the chapter ring are engraved/indented, but the minutes aren't. I think this works well to avoid taking attention away from the dial.

Strap & Fit

The Engraved Master boasts a tight 40mm case and reasonable 46.8mm lug to lug. It's a good size, but it's a touch flat. Theres's some curve to the lugs to help the fit but on my 6.5inchcm/16.5cm wrist, it's approaching a bit big. But it's a joy to wear, cos everytime you look at it, you get a bit of sparkle as the light catches a shiny, engraved numeral. It's a dress watch, yes, but no, because it's pretty chill and a good size, so you can wear it whenever, and with whatever you want. Actually this is the case for all watches. You do you.

The strap is decent, alligator leather, it has an easy to use triple safety deployant clasp, which fits well and adjusts easily. To be honest it's seen some wear and could probs do with an upgrade.

Movement & Accuracy

Longines caliber L888.5 self winding/automatic movement is based on the ETA A31.L11.

Self-winding mechanical movement beating at 25,200 vibrations per hour, with a power reserve up to 72 hours. I am told by reliable sources, that the 888.5 variant has a silicon balance spring but it not COSC certified, like some of the other variants of the same movement. Never had an issue with accuracy or any other issues. Obviously, not worn everyday so wear n tear isn't what it might be, but seems solid enough.

Competition / Value for money.

Naoya Hida & Co. have the full shebang here, they've taken this feature as a main feature and draw for the brand. And it's an expensive shebang indeed. The NH TYPE1E, NH TYPE3B and 5B have dialled up the sexiness to 12, puns are always intended. I've you've got the budget (£15,000+) and appreciate that custom made, independent deal, then raid your savings. It was first released in 2019, which means that the Longines is effectively a homage, whoops. It's very similar to the Type1 (top right), this can't be a coincidence can it? No, it can't, it's got the numerals, the blued hands and the indices. Thankfully, it doesn't have the price tag. As they say who needs a Naoya Hida & Co. when you've can have a Longines...

The Dan Royter Nova is another independent with insane finishing and a unique style. The roman numerals are engraved, in fact the whole dial is manually bevelled. While the dial/engraving is awesome I think I love the hands more, they look deadly sharp!

The Nova - starts at $68,000 | img Royterwatches.com

In the Longines stable itself, there are bunch of variations, in colour, dial finish and size, with a 42mm, 40, 38.5, and even 34mm (L2.357.4.73.6 - below) available as well - on a bracelet too, beautiful. The black and 18ct rose gold (L2.793.8.73.2 - more below) is also a fave. There is a small seconds version but it impedes the engraved dials to ill effect, pointless on this dial/watch.

34mm on bracelet | img: Firstclasswatches.com

The bottom line is if you want an engraved numeral dial, there is no other entry level option, Longines wins. You can pick up one for close to £1000 in the pre-owned market, and around £1600+ new on sale (for smaller, less fancy models). It is a spectactular value proposition, especially in the pre-loved market. The rose gold above, will set you back £11,000 odd, it's a proper flex though. Otherwise, it's all independent, custom and even more priceyyy!

Conclusion

In the end, the Master Collection (they're all called the bloody master collection - I can't get over this, it's bonkers) is a superb offering from Longines, there are sizes for all wrists and the bang for your buck is unprecedented when you consider what else is out there. The engraved dial is beautifully executed and delivered with no concern for the safety of your eyeballs - they may pop out of your head from time to time.

https://www.longines.com/en-gb/watches/master

I'm sure I've missed an engraved numeral dial or two (Garrick for one) but I'm willing to bet they're at the top end of the price bracket. For a unique dress watch or smart everydayer, you can't beat this. If you want to show-off, this will also low-key do the job very well. If you want status points with the layman and the watchfan, this will do the it. I wanted to rename this, christen it with a name worthy of it's prestige and quality. It's a bevelled beauty, so with that in mind, maybe the Longines Master-Dial, or Longines Master Ultra-Engraved, or Master Zifferblatt (dial in German) or Longines Master Cadran (dial in French) - they're lame I know but better than the Master Collection / 190th Anniversary. Once again, Longine, it's like parent turtles naming all their hundreds of babies the same name.

I love it, but its time might be up. It's size clashes with my change in direction. I may have to let a few of my staple pieces go if I am to fully embrace this transition into smaller timepieces. It would be a shame, but I hardly wear it these days. Thinking about what happens in the long run, it will likely be for sale soon. I have loved it Long time, but I must be master of my collection. See you next time.

Yours Zifferblattingly,

Alvin