Longines has just released, to me, one of their best watches in recent years – the Master Collection Chrono Monopusher.
The stainless steel 41mm case is well polished and displays elegant curves. At 12.6mm thick, the watch sits comfortably on the wrist. Although 38-39mm would have been a better case size for a dress watch like this, the slightly larger and thicker case gives it more wrist presence on thicker wrists, making it look a bit more sporty as a chronograph. And of course, what steals the show is the finely executed monopusher at 3 o’clock which, unlike traditional three-pusher chronographs, starts, stops and resets the chronograph.
The dial is what I like the most about this piece. The watch is released in two dial variations. One is the ice blue dial which has a cold mysterious tone and the other one is the warm silver opaline dial which I prefer. The best thing about the opaline dial is its rose gold applied numerals, which can look silver depending on the lighting, complementing perfectly the barleycorn guilloché dial. The vintage vibe of this dial variation wins my heart. The leaf-shaped hands, paired with the pulsation scale around the dial, create the perfect recipe for a vintage-inspired monopusher chronograph dial.
Through the display caseback, the hand-wound Longines L799.5 column wheel movement can be admired. It is well decorated with Geneve stripes,blued screws and blued column wheels, offering a power reserve of 68 hours.
I do think this is a watch done right in almost every aspect. At 27,700hkd, you get a monopusher chronograph, which is by all means a high-end complication, a guillochéd dial and a displayed back that shows you a hand-wound movement. The watch reminds me of Patek’s monopusher chronographs which sell for a much much higher price. This piece is absolutely bang-for-the-buck.
