2024 is shaping as much as be an fascinating yr for non-round watches. Extra just lately, the ladies’s Longines Mini DolceVita is on the market for the primary time in 18k gold. The gathering was solely launched final yr, however Longines has wasted no time increasing it to enchantment to all kinds of watch fans. Longines added double tour straps to the gathering earlier this Spring, and we now have 4 new variations in yellow and rose gold, every with the choice of a diamond-encrusted case and an identical brick-link bracelet or an unset case with a black leather-based strap. The most recent choices introduce a brand new look to the collection and a wholly new, albeit comparatively aggressive, worth bracket.
Longines has been dabbling in formed watches since 1910, with the DolceVita formally coming into the fold in 1997. Since then, it has been the model’s resident rectangular-shaped watch. With the Mini DolceVita comes a smaller and considerably in a different way formed case, measuring 21.50 mm x 29.00 mm and 6.75mm thick. The Artwork Deco stepped design on all sides of the DolceVita case has been swapped for smoother, extra female traces. The newer Mini fashions additionally launched us to a brand-new model bracelet made of 5 rows of square-shaped hyperlinks. The brancards are embellished with 38 Prime Wesselton diamonds on these fashions, whereas the fashions on leather-based have a diamond-less case. The gold bracelets on the newest November 2024 releases characteristic 106 staggered hyperlinks and a triple-security clasp, whereas the leather-based fashions characteristic an interchangeability system for swapping out the straps and a gold-tongue buckle to match the case.
For me, the DolceVita has at all times resembled the Cartier Tank however much more so now that the Mini mannequin sports activities smoother brancards. The “unset” fashions in gold and leather-based, specifically, ship that basic Tank LC aesthetic, whereas the “set” fashions, with their 5 rows of silky hyperlinks, are arguably extra harking back to the Cartier Panthère. The idea of the oblong watch is hardly new, so it isn’t all that shocking that there are such a lot of similarities between the 2 manufacturers. For instance, the Cartier Tank has been in steady manufacturing since 1919, and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, with its revolutionary swiveling case, was launched in 1931. They have been fairly widespread earlier than spherical wristwatches grew to become the norm and appear to experience an ever-changing wave of traits, waxing and waning in recognition amongst collectors. We look like driving a brand new wave of rectangular watches, with releases from Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, and others hitting the market over the previous few years.
The dial contains a related flinqué texture, as different rectangular watches available on the market, proper right down to the Roman numerals that comply with the fitting angles of the case, the blued sword-shaped palms, and the sq. minute monitor, which is punctuated by a barely recessed square-shaped small seconds subdial. This design is basic and timeless, but when it isn’t fairly your model, previously released editions of the Mini DolceVita are additionally out there with a novel “Cosmo” sector dial. That possibility simply hasn’t been prolonged to the brand new gold fashions as of the writing of this text.
The brand new Mini DolceVitas are powered by the high-precision L178 quartz motion with a Renata 379 battery. This caliber is identical as used all through the DolceVita assortment and looks as if a pure selection for the smaller case dimension on these new Mini fashions. I might see myself including the unset mannequin on leather-based to my common rotation. Nevertheless, not having to set or wind the quartz motion is helpful for individuals who don’t put on gold watches fairly often. Every watch has 30 meters of water resistance, which is simply tremendous for a timepiece that leans extra towards the jewellery watch class. Moreover, the instances are furnished with an AR sapphire crystal.
Gold is a pleasant addition to the rising Mini DolceVita assortment, which was beforehand solely out there in metal. It’s an approachable possibility for anybody concerned with shopping for a smaller but dependable gold watch that appears nice on the wrist. The diamond-less fashions on leather-based straps will retail for $5,975 USD, whereas the diamond fashions with matching gold bracelets will retail for $25,000 USD. For extra info, please go to the brand’s website.
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