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Longines PrimaLuna Moonphase 34mm Ladies Watch Yellow Gold
Ref. L81265797
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 278 Longines watches in stock.The PrimaLuna is Longines's longstanding collection for the wrist that wants the complication without the bulk — a moonphase and date in a case that remains genuinely wearable rather than ceremonially large. At 34mm it is a size that suits being worn daily, and the automatic movement inside carries a silicon balance-spring and a 72-hour power reserve, which means a weekend off the wrist does not mean a reset on Monday. The yellow gold cap detailing on the bracelet is the particular decision that earns attention here, running warmth through what would otherwise be a cool silver palette, and the multi-layer anti-reflective coating on both sides of the sapphire means the moonphase display is actually readable in the light conditions where you would think to look at it.
- Reference
- L81265797
- Brand
- Longines
- Case size
- 34mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- Date, Moonphase
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Gem set
- Yes
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 Back in Stock (3,460), Stainless Steel Watches (2,531), Automatic Watches (1,573), Watches Under 37mm (1,342), Women's Watches (1,233) and Silver Dial Watches (577).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 34mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- One of Longines's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Longines PrimaLuna Moonphase alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L81265797 | R10201712 | 278590-3013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,250 | £4,300 | £5,660 |
| Case size | 34mm | 32.5mm | 30mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 50m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 72 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 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 women's, though at 34mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £5,250, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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