Longines Sharpens the Master Chronograph Moonphase for 2026

Longines has given one of its most complete classical watches a meaningful update for 2026.

The Master Chronograph Moonphase has long sat near the top of the brand’s everyday dress-watch universe, bringing calendar, chronograph and lunar displays into a single polished package.

This latest version doesn’t try to reinvent that formula, but it does make the watch cleaner, slightly slimmer and better aligned with the refreshed Master collection.

At a glance

A 41mm case that splits the difference

The outgoing Master Chronograph Moonphase was offered in 40mm and 42mm versions, both measuring 14mm thick.

Longines has now settled on a 41mm stainless steel case with a height of 13.80mm, which gives the watch a more balanced footprint while trimming a little from the profile.

The case remains largely polished, in keeping with the watch’s classical personality.

A knurled crown sits between pump-style chronograph pushers, while sapphire crystals are fitted front and back.

Water resistance is rated to 30 metres, which places this firmly in elegant daily-wear territory rather than sports-watch territory.

The dial keeps the complexity but cleans up the frame

The Master Chronograph Moonphase is not a minimal watch, and that’s precisely the point.

Its silvery-white dial carries central hours and minutes, central chronograph seconds and a pointer date, with the remaining indications distributed across three subdials.

At 12 o’clock, the chronograph 30-minute counter is combined with the day and month displays.

At 9 o’clock, the running seconds are paired with a 24-hour indication.

At 6 o’clock, the chronograph 12-hour counter frames the moonphase display, using a dark blue disc decorated with gold-coloured moon and star motifs.

The notable change is around the outer edge of the dial.

The previous sloping minute flange has been replaced by a flatter perimeter that incorporates the date scale and a more defined vertical edge.

The barleycorn decoration has also been refined, while applied blued Arabic numerals, blued leaf-shaped hands, snailed subdials and bevelled apertures help preserve the model’s formal character.

There’s a lot of information here, but the layout remains surprisingly legible because each function has a clear place.

Longines’ most complex current movement

Inside is the calibre L687.5, an automatic Longines-exclusive movement derived from the Valjoux 7750 architecture.

It is the brand’s most complex movement currently in use, combining chronograph, calendar, 24-hour and moonphase functions.

The movement uses a column wheel for the chronograph, along with a free-sprung balance and silicon hairspring.

That silicon component improves corrosion resistance and anti-magnetic performance, while the calibre runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers up to 66 hours of power reserve.

Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement is finished with Côtes de Genève on the rotor, perlage on the bridges and mainplate, and a blue column wheel for a small flash of colour.

The rotor also carries the Longines name in gold-filled engraving and a winged hourglass cut-out.

Strap, bracelet and positioning

Longines offers the updated Master Chronograph Moonphase on either a dark blue alligator leather strap or a stainless steel three-link bracelet.

Both options use a micro-adjustable folding clasp, a practical detail that makes the watch easier to fine-tune during the day.

At CHF 3,500, the watch remains one of the more compelling propositions in the traditional complication space, especially for buyers who want a dress-leaning chronograph with real mechanical density.

It will appeal most to collectors who enjoy old-school calendar displays but still want a watch that feels polished enough for daily wear.

Details & Specifications

The updated Master Chronograph Moonphase works because Longines has resisted the temptation to simplify away its character.

It is still busy, traditional and unapologetically complication-rich, but the cleaner case and dial treatment make it feel sharper without losing the charm that made the model a fixture of the Master collection.