Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Longines · DolceVita
Longines DolceVita 40 mm Silvered Stainless
Reference 45897ST.48
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- DolceVita
- Model
- Longines DolceVita 40 mm Silvered Stainless
- Reference number
- 45897ST.48
- Year / era
- 1956 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Silvered opaline
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Silvered opaline
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 69A — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1956 – 1963
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Longines DolceVita 40 mm Silvered Stainless sits within Longines's DolceVita line, introduced in 1956. It carries the house codes established since 1832 — stainless steel case, silvered opaline dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Longines
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1832
- Founder
- Auguste Agassiz
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Master Collection, HydroConquest, Spirit, Legend Diver, DolceVita, Conquest
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Shock-absorbing movement mounting · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- High-beat automatic · Automatic chronograph · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- Longines Master Collection 44 mm Green Ceramic (1974) · Longines Master Collection 40 mm Meteorite 18k (1964) · Longines Master Collection 41 mm Black 18k (1998) · Longines Master Collection 44 mm Skeletonised Sapphire (1969)
Brand history
Longines has spent more than 194 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Master Collection, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Auguste Agassiz established Longines in 1832, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Longines calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1832
Auguste Agassiz founds Longines in Switzerland.
1872
Longines earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Longines to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Longines enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Longines continues to produce Master Collection, HydroConquest, Spirit and other icons in limited numbers.