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 38 mm Ice Quartz
Reference 73396OR.12
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- DolceVita
- Model
- Longines DolceVita 38 mm Ice Quartz
- Reference number
- 73396OR.12
- Year / era
- 1969 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 24B — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1969 – 1981
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
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 38 mm Ice Quartz sits within Longines's DolceVita line, introduced in 1969. It carries the house codes established since 1832 — quartz tpt case, ice blue dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.