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Longines DolceVita 23.30 x 37mm Ladies Watch
Ref. L55124716
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The DolceVita traces its rectangular case back to the 1920s, and that geometry has defined the line ever since — Longines has simply refined it rather than reinvented it. The name is a direct nod to the Italian idea of the sweetness of life, and the design has always leaned into that register: unhurried, polished, built for wear rather than display. At 23.30 × 37mm and just 7.20mm deep, the proportions are genuinely slender for a rectangular watch — it lies flush under a cuff without any of the bulk that round watches at equivalent diameters tend to bring. The silver flinqué dial rewards close attention: the engine-turned ground catches angled light differently to a flat silver dial, giving the surface a quiet texture that reads plainly at arm's length but reveals itself up close. Roman numerals in paint and blued steel hands read crisply against it, with the small seconds at six keeping the layout formally balanced. The fully polished bracelet carries the same tone throughout, which suits a watch of this kind.
- Reference
- L55124716
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- DolceVita
- Case size
- 37mm
- Case thickness
- 7.20mm
- Lug width
- 17mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Rectangular
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- L176
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
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 6 collections
This watch appears in the Longines DolceVita range (50), Back in Stock (4,007), Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Women's Watches (1,465), Silver Dial Watches (630) and Rectangular & Square Watches (408).
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 37mm suits most wrists
- 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 DolceVita 23.30 x alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L55124716 | YA163407 | 5425-STC-00300 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,400 | £1,510 | £995 |
| Case size | 37mm | 38mm | 37mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| 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?
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?
17mm. 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, though at 37mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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