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Longines Master Collection 25.5mm Stainless Steel/Gold 18K Automatic Ladies Watch
Ref. L21285897
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Master Collection arrived in 2005 as Longines's answer to a specific question: what does an automatic dress watch look like when it is drawn from the brand's own archival vocabulary rather than assembled from contemporary fashion? The result was a line of proportionally restrained pieces with movements worthy of the name on the dial. At 25.5mm this sits close to the wrist and reads as jewellery first, though the automatic movement inside it — the L595, built on a proven ETA architecture and running to a 45-hour reserve — puts it in a different category from the quartz dress watches it will sit alongside. The mother-of-pearl dial is indexed with twelve diamond dots, and the rose gold capping on the bezel and crown keeps the two-tone bracelet and case reading as a single coordinated object rather than two components tolerating each other. The triple-safety folding clasp with its push-piece release is a small thing that earns its keep daily — a bracelet at this size can feel insubstantial on the wrist, and the mechanism ensures it stays where it is placed without fuss.
- Reference
- L21285897
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Master Collection
- Case size
- 25.5mm
- Case thickness
- 8.9mm
- Lug width
- 13mm
- Case material
- Two-tone
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA 2000
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Two-tone
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
Learn more about Longines
Auguste Agassiz began trading watches in Saint-Imier in 1832, but the modern company dates from 1860, when his nephew Ernest Francillon built a factory in the meadows beside the Suze — the longines of the local dialect — and consolidated the scattered outworkers of the region under one roof.
Longines registered its winged hourglass in 1889. It is the oldest watch trademark still in continuous use.
The company's identity was built on precision and on timing things in public. It supplied chronographs for the first modern Olympic events it timed in 1896, timed the 1912 Federal Gymnastics Festival with a broken-wire mechanism accurate to a hundredth of a second, and developed the photo-finish camera and the quartz timing devices used across twentieth-century athletics.
Its aviation associations are equally deep. Longines instruments were carried by Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic in 1927, and the Hour Angle watch, designed to Lindbergh's own specification to simplify longitude calculation, remains in the catalogue. Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes both navigated by Longines.
The house was among the most decorated at nineteenth-century observatory trials, holding numerous precision records. Since joining the Swatch Group in 1983 it has occupied the accessible-heritage position: exclusive ETA-based movements, archive-driven designs through the Heritage line, and volume that makes it one of the group's most important brands.
- 1860
- Ernest Francillon builds the factory at Les Longines.
- 1889
- The winged hourglass is registered — the oldest watch trademark in use.
- 1912
- Broken-wire timing achieves hundredth-second accuracy.
- 1927
- Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic with Longines instruments.
- 1983
- Becomes part of the Swatch Group.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in the Longines Master Collection range (47), Automatic Watches (1,570), Watches Under 37mm (1,369), Women's Watches (1,263) and Two-Tone Watches (386).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 25.5mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Longines Master Collection alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L21285897 | 5124-STS00985 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,950 | £1,895 |
| Case size | 25.5mm | 24mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 45 hours | — |
| This watch |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 45 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
13mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £1,950 is the cheapest of 4 UK retailers, against £2,950 at the dearest — a difference of £1,000.
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