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Longines DolceVita 20.5mm X 32mm Ladies Watch Grey
Ref. L52556752
Sits in Longines’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Longines watches we list, which start at £900.
Price range £900 to £22,850 across 271 Longines watches in stock.The DolceVita collection arrived in 1997 drawing directly on the rectangular Art Deco case shapes that defined dress watches of the 1920s — the same proportions that made the Tank silhouette so enduring. This reference takes that geometry and executes it in solid 18-karat yellow gold, which is not a detail to overlook: the warmth and weight of the case reads differently in hand than gold-plated alternatives, and it ages accordingly. At 6.9mm thick, the case sits almost startlingly flat against the wrist, and at 20.5mm wide it is cut for slender proportions — the kind of watch that disappears under a formal cuff rather than competing with it. The anthracite dial works quietly against the gold case, Roman numerals in paint and gilt hands providing contrast without drama. The movement inside is the L178, built on an ETA foundation with 11 jewels and a profile thin enough to keep the case where it belongs — close to the skin, unobtrusive, composed.
- Reference
- L52556752
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- DolceVita
- Case size
- 32mm
- Case thickness
- 6.9mm
- Lug width
- 15mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Rectangular
- Dial
- Grey
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- ETA 980.153
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Grey
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 32mm
- Origin
- Swiss made
- Warranty
- 2 years
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 DolceVita range (50), Back in Stock (3,734), Stainless Steel Watches (2,581), Watches Under 37mm (1,369), Women's Watches (1,263), Leather Strap Watches (860) and Dress Watches (475).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 32mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- 32mm lug-to-lug keeps the 32mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Longines's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Longines DolceVita alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L52556752 | YA1265032 | 278590-6015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,650 | £4,750 | £4,740 |
| Case size | 32mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 30m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| 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?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat size strap does it take?
15mm. 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 32mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £4,650, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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