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With all the talk around the new Longines HydroConquest models, we thought it best to see for ourselves what the fuss was about.

Recently, Longines announced the new HydroConquest collection, and there was a fair bit of talk about the new pieces within watch circles. After all, the brand released a good-looking 300m dive watch in two sizes, several colour ways and two bracelet configurations, and all for A$3,375 or A$3,550 depending on the bracelet chosen. So, it was a watch we just had to check out in person.

For this review, I’ll be testing out the 42mm model on the more traditional three-link bracelet, and in the blue colourway. Mario will be tackling the 39mm model in ice blue on the mesh bracelet in a week or two, as it does wear differently and is worthy of its own spotlight. And for the photo shoot, why not take the watches down to the beautiful Manly Harbour and the Manly Boathouse? It is a great backdrop given the pedigree of the Longines HydroConquest.

Initial Thoughts

I’ll admit, I was not sold initially on it. Why? Well, let’s address the elephant in the room first up – it did look very similar to another very popular brand of dive watch on the market. As an owner of said dive watch, I was a little hesitant. However, you can’t always judge a book by its cover (lesson learned), and after a week spent with the Longines HydroConquest and showing it to a few people, I’ve changed my tune.

These are very good and great bang-for-buck watches that pleasantly surprised me. The size of the overall collection covers a lot of wrist sizes, and the 42mm in question is perfect for those who have wrists that are my size or above. The dial has depth to it in the blue lacquer, and is a great shade of blue, also, as is the ceramic bezel.

The bracelet is solid and feels well constructed, and the addition of the sliding micro-adjustment in the clasp, which you can operate without taking the watch fully off the wrist, is a blessing for those who have a fluctuating wrist size, as I do. And on the wrist, the 11.7mm thickness means these sit very nicely, in that sweet spot for a dive watch, but I will say, the longer lug-to-lug length I felt could have been slightly less to fit better across the wrist.

The Design

Sam has already covered the design of the watch extensively in the release article for the new HydroConquest collection, so I won’t go into too much detail on it here. But, I will give you my thoughts on the design elements and how I perceive them.

I do like a good diver. Anyone who knows me, or has read my articles over the years, can attest to that, as it has been my go-to watch style now for probably well over a decade. The new HydroConquest fits this bill nicely. Longines has done a good job with the watch, as it is cleaner and more refined for a modern-day buyer. The dial has done away with the numerals, which suits my tastes, but some have suggested that it may lose some of the Longines DNA by doing so. However, it is clean and easy to read at a glance, which should be the case.

The smaller case size is a better fit for many, and the 42mm size in particular will work best for those with larger wrists. The more streamlined crown guard works well in my opinion, as I wasn’t a fan of the previous generation’s crown guards that looked like they were screwed into the case, not a part of it.

The blue dial and bezel are deep and subtle, so for those people who want a more classic colour, but not the standard black, this gives them a good option without going too far into “look at me” territory. The blue lacquer dial does have a nice depth to it, and makes the applied indices, along with the hands stand out, so the legibility of the watch is exceedingly good.

I’ll talk a little more about the bracelet shortly, but suffice to say, the clasp with the approximately 5mm sliding micro-adjustment is great. It allows enough breathing space on those warmer days. I would like to have seen this extended a little more, maybe 8mm to 1cm would have been perfect, as I found I couldn’t get the exact right fit, given the erratic weather over the week I wore the watch.

My Wearing Experience

I love being proven wrong, well, when it comes to watches that is. (Don’t tell my wife!) This is also why we take our time to review the watches we get for review, as quite often, the extended time on the wrist does have a way of showing those little things, good and bad, you miss with a short try. Especially when you are wearing them every day and are sized correctly, as you would if you owned the watch.

Putting the new Longines HydroConquest on my wrist, it felt very good from the outset. The 11.7 mm thick case is perfect for a 300m water resistant dive watch, and sized at 42 mm in diameter and 51.2 mm lug-to-lug, it suits wrists from about 17cm and above. Although this depends on how large you want your watches to wear.

For me, I felt the 42 mm size wore a little larger across the wrist, thanks to the lug-to-lug measurements, making it appear a little larger and flatter than other watches at 42 mm. The ‘H’ link bracelet probably adds to this, whereas the mesh will shrink the wearing experience down slightly due to how it looks on the wrist. That being said, this is why Longines has brought out two sizes to accommodate people’s varying wrist sizes as well as tastes.

The three-link ‘H’ style bracelet is also comfortable, thanks to the way Longines has designed the links. It never once caught the hairs on my wrist, and as we are in the transition season here in Queensland, the weather is a little bit indecisive, so during the day it’s still warm, and thanks to the rain of late, the humidity comes and goes daily, so the sliding micro-adjustment in the clasp was a godsend. I think I used it several times a day, but as mentioned, I felt I needed a couple of millimetres more on some days. But, this all comes down to your wrist, where you live climate-wise, and how you size it in the first place.

Testing the bezel out, the action was good, but it felt less smooth than I was expecting. I did compare this to the bezel on the 39mm Mario had, and for whatever reason, the 42mm felt a little less smooth. It is one of those watch nerd things, but the 39mm had a better gliding motion to it, less ratchety. This is a minor point, though, as I have experienced a lot worse for a lot more money.

The Movement

The new HydroConquest is powered by the Longines-exclusive Calibre L888.5, a self-winding mechanical movement that needs no introduction. Being part of the Swatch Group, it is, of course, based on an ETA movement, which Longines tinkers enough with to make it its own. These are pretty rock-solid movements, and while we watch geeks love a good in-house, brand-developed movement, at this price point, the L888.5 ticks all the boxes you need.

A silicon balance spring with 10 times the resistance to magnetic fields required by ISO 764 standards – Tick. A 72-hour power reserve – Tick. Tested in 5 positions for accuracy – Tick. Really, the only thing that is lacking here is the COSC certification, which again, at this price point, is not needed, and my experience with Longines movements is that they essentially run at COSC accuracy regardless of being tested independently or not.

The movement does beat at a slower 3.5Hz, or 25,200 VpH, so the seconds hand doesn’t “sweep” as much as a higher beat movement, so the ticking is more noticeable on this than a 4Hz or a 5Hz watch. Does it make a difference to the user experience? Not really. But again, if you like a smooth sweep of the seconds hand, then something to watch out for.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned, this was a watch that I had an initial perception of, but after the week, I have changed how I feel about the Longines HydroConquest. The one thing that you need to keep in mind is this – these are 300m water-resistant, solidly built, good-looking dive watches that are priced super competitively at around A$3,500. And this is the lens you need to look through. At this price point, there is not much else out there that can compete with it from the major brands.

The design is well done, the construction is very solid, and the three-link ‘H’ style bracelet is comfy. The solid L888.5 calibre won’t let you down any time soon, and even if it does, well, you have a five-year warranty to take care of you, and if outside that, it will be easy to service on the remote chance anything happens.

Personally, if I had to choose between the 39mm and the 42mm, I would choose the 39mm because it is closer to the 40mm or 41mm size I prefer to wear these days, and the 42mm wears a little larger than I expected. However, I enjoyed wearing the 42mm as a daily wear regardless, and can safely say it will suit those with a wrist 17cm or larger, which in Australia is more common than the reverse. These are a great release from Longines.

References & Specifications

Availability: Available through Longines boutiques and authorised retailers, or head on over to Longines.com to see the full collection