Introducing: The Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase In Three New Colors
The Longines Heritage collection is my favorite one in the brand’s catalog. I especially like the Sector Dial, but many other models are also tastefully done. Last year, Longines added the Flagship Heritage Moonphase to the collection. Lex looked at the version with a silver sunburst dial, but blue and matte silver versions also came out. Now Longines has added green, anthracite, and beige versions to the lineup. However, the definition of “beige” might have been stretched a bit here.
I just read Lex’s hands-on introduction article to see what he thought about the Flagship Heritage Moonphase. His biggest takeaway was that it’s a very elegant-looking watch, but its thickness is a bit out of proportion. Unfortunately, that dimension hasn’t changed. However, let’s see if the new dial colors can make up for some of it.
The Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase
Like many watches in the Longines Heritage collection, the Flagship Moonphase’s case has a modest diameter. The stainless steel case is 38.5mm wide, perfectly matching the vintage-inspired design. In addition, the lugs span 46.2mm from tip to tip, so thus far, everything seems perfectly fine in terms of wearability. However (and this was Lex’s biggest point of criticism), we then get to its thickness of 12.4mm. That’s acceptable on a dive watch, but it looks out of tune on an elegant dress watch like the Flagship Heritage Moonphase.
The emblem of the Flagship Heritage collection, a caravel on a gold medallion
The culprit is the L899.5 automatic movement with a moonphase module on top. On the other hand, it’s very convenient that you won’t have to think about winding it very often. The rotor ensures the caliber gets enough energy, and the 72-hour power reserve is ample enough for you to lay down the watch for a long weekend away. The movement runs at a frequency of 25,200vph and features 21 jewels. Like many dress watches, the Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase also has a 30m water resistance rating.
More daring dial colors
Let’s forget about the unsatisfying thickness for a moment and look at the new dials instead. The new colors are certainly more daring than the ones from the first three versions. First, there’s the green sunburst dial. In the press pictures, it looks like a nice, deep hue, which suits the Flagship’s style well. It contrasts well with the silvered polished hands and applied thin markers. The moonphase sub-dial, which integrates a pointer date, is mostly green, but the night sky is blue, and the moon and stars are silver.
Next, we come to the version that Longines calls sunburst “beige.” Based on the press pictures, I’d say it looks more like bronze or golden brown, but maybe it’s a bit lighter in person. The dial has the same nice contrast as the green version, and the moonphase display is very similar. Still, this is by far my favorite of the three new dials. Its color is bolder, yet it doesn’t look out of place in the dressy context.
Finally, there’s the sunburst anthracite version. It features rose-gold-plated hands and indexes, just like the matte silver model in the earlier series. The moon and stars share this gold color too, just like the applied logo at 12 o’clock. It gives the Flagship Heritage Moonphase an even more elegant look than it already has with the silver-colored hardware.
Final thoughts
Of course, it’s a shame that Longines couldn’t reduce the thickness of the Flagship Heritage Moonphase. However, that’s not something you can reasonably expect one year after a model’s introduction. On the other hand, the added colors do give the model a bit more oomph. While the first three models were a bit on the safe side, these three new ones look much more audacious. They stand out nicely from all the silver and dark blue dress watches out there.
The Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase models in green, anthracite, and “beige” are available now. The watches cost €3,450 and come on either a black, gray, or brown alligator strap with a pin buckle.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of the new dial colors for the Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase.
