Longines Symphonette

Symphonette is a new series of women’s watches by Longines. The name is a reference to part of American radio history. In the 1940s, the Swiss watch brand Longines sponsored a series of classical music radio broadcasts named The Longines Symphonette, on Mutual Broadcasting System stations from 1943 to 1949, and then on CBS until 1957.

(The name Longines also appeared as a brand name on a record label, Longines Symphonette Society, which specialized in classical music and boxed sets of records. The Longines Symphonette was also a 1960s transistor radio. Probably the record label and the electronics company had nothing to do with the Swiss watchmakers).

Longines have chosen the name Symphonette for its new collection of women’s watches, based on a new oval case shape. The watches are available in a wide range, with four sizes, XS (16 x 25 mm), S (18.9 x 29.4 mm), M (21.9 x 34 mm) and L (24.9 x 38.6 mm), and many different dial designs, with mother-of-pearl, black lacquer or silvered flinqué (a type of guilloché engraving) dials, cases in steel or rose gold, with or without diamonds. The two smaller variants have just minutes and hours, the two larger versions have small seconds as well, on a subdial at 6 o’clock. Watch functioning is provided by ETA quartz movements. The cases are mounted on black alligator straps or steel bracelets.

Here are some examples of the watches in the Symphonette collection, with approximate prices:

L2.305.0.83.6
Oval case in steel set with diamonds, “S” size, 18.9 x 29.4 mm, mother-of-pearl dial with Arabic numerals, steel bracelet. Price £2,570, about €3,560

low_L2.305.0.83.6_PR-1500

L2.307.4.57.0
Oval case in steel, “L” size, 24.9 x 38.6 mm, black lacquered dial with diamond indices, black alligator strap. Price £1,100, about €1,550

low_L2.307.4.57.0_PR-1500

L2.305.4.71.6
Oval case in steel, “S” size, 18.9 x 29.4 mm, silvered flinqué dial with Roman numerals, steel bracelet. Price £880, about €1,220

low_L2.305.4.71.6-1500

L2.305.9.87.0
Oval case in rose gold set with diamonds, “S” size, 18.9 x 29.4 mm, mother-of-pearl dial with diamond indices, pink gold hands, black alligator strap. Price £3,080, about €4,280

low_L2.305.9.87.0-1500

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