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Longines Flagship Classic 26mm Ladies Watch
Ref. L42744126
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The Flagship line dates to 1957, making it one of Longines' founding collections, and the current Classic series preserves that brief without revision: a dress watch for everyday wear, self-winding, kept to proportions that disappear beneath a cuff. At 26mm this is the smallest case in the family, and at under 8mm thick it wears accordingly — close to the wrist, unobtrusive, readable without commanding the wrist it sits on. The white matt dial works harder than a plain white dial typically does. Applied indexes and polished hands give it enough surface variation to remain legible in low light without the dial becoming busy, and the anti-reflective coating on the underside of the sapphire means glare does not flatten it in direct sun. Through the caseback, the L592 — an ETA-derived movement with a silicon balance spring, beating at 28,800vph with a 45-hour reserve — is visible, which is an unexpected detail at this scale.
- Reference
- L42744126
- Brand
- Longines
- Case size
- 26mm
- Case thickness
- 7.90mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA A20.L01
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- 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 Back in Stock (4,007), Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Watches Under 37mm (1,509), Women's Watches (1,465) and Automatic Watches (1,417).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 26mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 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 Flagship Classic alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L42744126 | FC-200WR1MC6B | YA168501 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,450 | £1,195 | £1,400 |
| Case size | 26mm | 26mm | 25mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 45 hours | — | — |
| This watch |
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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.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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