Watch Reviews 4U presents a review of a used
Longines Master Collection L2.733.4 40mm Black Dial
40mm Chronograph watch from Michael Jones Jewellers of Northampton -
I highly recommend this seller for their superb customer service - see below
40mm Longines L2.733.4 compared with an 1832 Heritage collection Watch
I found this very nice used Longines L2.733.4 Column Wheel Chronograph on Ebay recently for around £1200. I had in the past seen a couple of these on sale in Japan in used condition.
Personally, 40mm case sizes are about the smallest I tend to go for just out of personal choice and this L2 at 39mm seemed a compromise but I found that the longer length lugs as also featured on the 1832 Heritage, actually made this fit very well for me. On the wrist the slight 1mm difference wasn't an issue.
The Longines Column Wheel L2.733.4 Chronograph
at Michael Jones Jewellers
The Longines Column Wheel 40mm Chronograph - an L2.749.4.52.0 version
The L2 Column Wheel Chronograph echoes the styling of the 1832 Heritage watches and is available in a similar version with a different model number and also a white dial version.
The L2 is a 1950's inspired 'Moderne' styling exercise with a stark black or white dial option and silvered metal dial furniture that gives this watch a classy look that is not out of date.
It features blade hands and there is a lame strip on the main hands and at the 5 minute interval markers around the dial. Whilst the light from these is minimal, they do work and is a nice touch as many of their dress watches feature solid metal hands.
Whether worn for business or as a dress watch, this L2 model is just pure style. As a Bauhaus design ethos admirer, this watch just appeals to me - being smart, classy, uncomplicated and wearable. Whilst it is also very functional and thus suits the design brief perfectly.
The sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating really makes the dial look pin sharp without reflections. The clarity of the glass on Longines watches I find really helps define the dial clarity and sharpness to the eye.
A Longines L2.749 40mm case size watch in similar style
Most of us won't have the need for a chronograph on what looks like a dress watch, so you might just choose the ordinary 1832 to fill that dressy watch requirement, but the small 3 dial chronograph gets away with it by not being overlarge, or over thick in the case depth.
In fact in comparison to the 1832 non-chronograph model, it is similar in case thickness.
Easy to operate side buttons for the Chronograph
The Crown has Longines logo and wording present
My 1832 was new and remains unworn - this L2 styled version had been pre-owned so I was not too worried about wearing it. The case is slightly different to the 1832 Heritage in the bezel shape and the lugs are straight and long unlike the other L2.749 variation shown here, which has a slightly differently styled lug set.
Both long lug versions on the L2.733 and the 1832 Heritage although not appealing to all due to the gap between strap and case body, actually works well. The longer lug length puts the strap slightly further outboard and I find this means on a smaller 40mm size watch that the strap tends to drop away vertically from the spring bar, rather than allowing the strap to curve around the wrist, for hot weather perhaps an advantage. This also helps to make the watch look larger.
The date set push button
As you would expect from Longines, the case is superbly finished in polished 316L Stainless Steel. As with many of the Longines canon, it features an exhibition back allowing you to see the superbly finished movement through the crystal window.
20mm strap with simple buckle closure in the Heritage style
The strap is an unfussy 'old school' strap and buckle style, again much in the style of the 1950's originals, tending to be less expensive than the Master Collection deployment type. The strap is a comfortable 20mm width and worn all day I found the watch was comfortable to wear and easy to read.
The exhibition back shows the movement off superbly
on these column wheel chronographs - the blued column wheel
ratchet wheel mechanism is shown at the top of the image here
A white dial version I saw on sale with Ramsdens Financial at £1499.
I went for the black dial one as it ideally partnered my 1832 Heritage in black.
Ramsdens listing of their L2.733.4 Longines -
Check out their used watches pages as there are some good deals there
This example features a deployment type strap which some prefer.
So what do we have in the L2.733.4? A nice and easy to wear watch, stylish, attractive timepiece that is not heavy on the wrist. Mine being a used example was in a very clean condition and pretty much like new. It is supplied with the nice wooden Longines box, booklet, pointer for date changing and an outer white Longines card box.
Essentially a £2k as new priced watch and on sale at around £1200. A good buy in my opinion, fairly priced and in great condition. Purchased from Michael Jones jewellers in Northamptonshire and thanks to Gareth who offered a superb customer service experience and was extremely helpful with the purchasing process and communication. So I would highly recommend them based on my purchase.
No comments:
Post a Comment