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Longines Master Collection 39mm Mens Watch Light Blue Dial
Ref. L29494992
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Master Collection was refreshed in 2026 with a dial that sets this reference apart from its siblings: a light blue guilloché surface worked in a barleycorn pattern, paired with applied Arabic numerals that catch light at a different angle from the textured ground beneath them. The effect is subtle but not quiet — it rewards attention in a way that a plain dial does not. At 9.40mm thick, the case sits closer to a dress watch than anything else at 39mm, and the anthracite alligator strap pushes it further in that direction. The deployant clasp includes a toolless micro-adjustment, which matters more than it sounds: fine-tuning the fit after putting a jacket on takes seconds rather than requiring a tool and a link removed. The L888.5 draws its architecture from the ETA 2892 but adds a monocrystalline silicon balance-spring — a material that resists magnetic fields and ages without the gradual drift that metal springs develop. The 72-hour reserve means the watch survives a full weekend off the wrist without needing to be wound before Monday morning.
- Reference
- L29494992
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Master Collection
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 9.40mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA 2892
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Grey
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 72 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 7 collections
This watch appears in the Longines Master Collection range (47), Back in Stock (4,792), Stainless Steel Watches (3,164), Automatic Watches (1,693), Leather Strap Watches (1,044), Blue Dial Watches (872) and Dress Watches (541).
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What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 39mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Longines's range as we list it
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 | L29494992 | 01 782 7811 4056-07 6 | 164 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,250 | £2,250 | £2,220 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39.5mm | 37.5mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 38 hours | 43 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
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 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 39mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £2,250, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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