Longines La Grande Classique Swiss Quartz Watches Review

Where DolceVita went Italian, La Grand Classique de Longines goes French. Longines La Grand Classique watches feature a classic perfect circle or elaborate tonneau shape, both outlined by delicate contours. The stress in this collection rests on sophistication and finesse.

The bezels are thinner, and so are the rest of visual characteristic: the indexes, the hands, the cases themselves. La Grand Classique is a high-end jewelry and dressy collection with a strong traditional flair – it retains the effortless extroverted Longines spirit only by keeping most of the dials white.

Design

Probably the most fascinating feature of La Grand Classique de Longines is the way the lugs attach to the cases. They appear to simply have been placed near the case – probably cast that way – but the lack of obvious contact points creates a surprising visual effect. This is one of the strong points of this collection.

Another one is the use of extra thin indexes, Roman numerals, and baton hands, alluding to Vacheron Constantin Patrimony watches in more than one way.

It's difficult to judge whether this is an intentional reference (perhaps it was VC who borrowed the idea), but by employing this design scheme La Grand Classique de Longines offers an alternative to the Patrimony – an alternative which is more affordable, while also coming from an established Swiss brand.

La Grand Classique de Longines watches encase basic quartz movements (only one model currently in production comes with an automatic caliber). The movements lack any complications, or even a seconds hand – the focus is strictly on traditional appearance and clean minimalistic design.

Ladies and Men's

La Grand Classique de Longines doesn't specify men's or women's pieces, and sometimes it's difficult to differentiate. Men's watches, in stainless steel or gold, are usually larger, and can incorporate all the extras usually saved for women's models.

Ladies' watches are smaller, and usually more elaborate: many feature a ring of diamonds encircling the dial, and there's also a rare two tone variation. Other luxurious materials include mother-of-pearl and crocodile straps.