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With a history that dates all the way back to 1832, Longines is one of the oldest watchmaking brands that operate within the industry today, and it also happens to be one of the very few high-end timepiece companies that could truly be considered a household name among both watch enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts, alike. Based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, and a proud member of Swatch Group since 1983, Longines has an uninterrupted history that spans nearly two full centuries, and its winged hourglass emblem holds the title of being the oldest registered trademark for a watch brand logo that is still in use today.

Outside of knowing the brand through its high-end Swiss timepieces, many people living within the United States who are not part of watch collector and enthusiast circles might be most familiar with Longines for its prestigious role as the Official Timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby — a distinction that the brand has held since 2011. However, the historic Swiss watch brand also sponsors a wide variety of other events, and it offers a long and fascinating history that includes everything from pioneering advancements in industrialized manufacturing to alpine skiing, and even the early days of human flight.

To celebrate its 190th anniversary, Longines has released three new The Longines Master Collection watches that pay tribute to the brand’s rich history and spirit with classical styling, elegant designs, and high-performing mechanical movements. The Longines Master Collection was first introduced in 2005, and it consists exclusively of timepieces that are powered by traditional mechanical calibers. Offering clean refined aesthetics with a highly versatile case profile, The Longines Master Collection serves as the perfect canvas for the brand to create timepieces that celebrate its illustrious heritage and past achievements. While models from The Longines Master Collection can offer a wide variety of different compilations, the three new models joining the collection to commemorate the brand’s 190th anniversary are all simple three-handed dress watches with clean time-only dials and elegantly engraved Arabic numeral hour markers.

Featuring cases that measure 40mm in diameter by 9.35mm-thick with an overall lug-to-lug distance of 46.5mm, all three of The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary watches are crafted from a different type of metal, with the standard-production model appearing in stainless steel, while the two 190-piece limited edition versions are crafted from either 18k yellow or rose gold. Despite their significantly different materials, all three of the different cases feature the same overall shape with elegantly shaped lugs, high-polished surfaces, a thin smooth bezel, and a signed winding crown located at the 3 o’clock position.

Protecting the dial side of the watches are gently curved sapphire crystals with multiple layers of anti-reflective coating on both surfaces, while the opposite side of the cases gets fitted with display casebacks that offer a view of the self-winding movements within and feature commemorative “190th Anniversary” engravings around their perimeters. Additionally, the casebacks of both the yellow gold and rose gold models each feature their unique limited edition number out of 190 pieces as a further celebration of the brand’s landmark anniversary. Fitted to the cases of all three of the new The Longines Master Collection models are grey alligator leather straps with calf leather linings that taper from 21mm to 18mm, and include either stainless steel push-button deployant clasps or solid gold pin buckles that match their respective cases.

While the dials fitted to the three The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary watches all follow the same refined time-only layout, each one showcases a different color and surface finish, along with a different complimentary color for its centrally mounted set of leaf-shaped hands. The standard-production model in stainless steel features a sandblasted silver dial paired with a set of metallic blue hands; the limited edition 18k yellow gold version receives a vertically brushed gray dial with a gold set of hands; and the limited edition variation in 18k rose gold gets fitted with a grained anthracite dial and a matching set of rose gold hands.

Despite their differences in color and texture, all three of the dial variations for the new The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary series feature the same style of elegantly-shaped Arabic numeral hour markers paired with an angled rehaut that contains a printed minute track. With that in mind, arguably the single most striking feature found across the three different The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary watches is the unique design of their hour markers, which are deeply engraved directly into the dial’s surface and appear in the same brilliant metallic color as the case, rather than being separately applied components or simply painted directly onto the surface of the dial.

Powering the trio of The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary watches is the Longines exclusive Caliber L888.5 automatic movement. It features a silicon balance spring and runs at a frequency of 25,200vph, which enables it to achieve an extended power reserve of approximately 72 hours. Just as you would expect from a true Swiss-Made precision movement, the bridges and rotor of the Longines Caliber L888.5 are decorated with perlage and Geneva stripes, and each one of the three different Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary models is fitted with a version of the Cal. L888.5 movement features an oscillating weight finished to match the case material of the watch.

While there are several names older than Longines within the watch industry, few brands can actually claim to offer nearly as long an uninterrupted history, and the iconic Swiss watch brand has been continuously producing finely crafted timepieces for nearly two full centuries. The standard-production stainless steel The Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary watch will be accompanied by an official retail price of $2,400 USD, while the 18k yellow gold and 18k rose gold limited edition models will each be priced at $12,000 USD, with production strictly limited to 190 pieces worldwide. The new trio of The Longines Master Collection watches celebrate 190 years of Longines watchmaking with refined and elegant designs that honor the brand’s past while continuing to write the next chapter of its rich history. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.