ReviewA Global Conquest: Presenting The Latest Longines HydroConquest GMT
The newest addition to Longines’s bestselling dive watch collection is the HydroConquest GMT timepiece, with a second time zone on the dial and a 300m resistance rating, making this watch a useful, practical and an extremely elegant everyday accessory
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Of all the useful complications in a wristwatch, the GMT function likely tops the list, allowing the wearer to track two time zones with just one glance. It’s a genre that became more popular during the pandemic, and is still just as functional, as international travel and trade connect global destinations. Longines’s latest HydroConquest GMT watch is a case in point. With a GMT function on the dial, the gorgeous dive watch is an extremely practical accessory, expanding the already fantastic HydroConquest collection. Moreover, with a new GMT-equipped calibre featuring a silicon balance spring, the movement makes the watch highly resistant to magnetism. The best part of the Longines HydroConquest GMT is that it is a luxury Swiss timepiece from one of the oldest watch brands, while it’s also relatively accessible.
HydroConquest: A Daily Beater
First introduced in 2007, the Longines HydroConquest collection almost naturally found its place as a bestseller among affordable luxury tool watches. With its Swiss heritage, beautifully symmetrical design code, robust 41mm or 43mm case size, 300m water resistance, all at an accessible price point, the HydroConquest offers a value proposition like no other dive watch. Its unidirectional rotating bezel with a ceramic insert, and extremely legible luminous material on the dial are some of the reasons this watch became so popular. However, while these features make this a useful tool for divers, it isn’t only for underwater use—the HydroConquest is a handy accessory that goes just as well with jeans as it does under the cuff of a blazer.
The latest HydroConquest GMT timepieces feature a 41mm stainless steel case with brushed and polished finishes that match those on the steel bracelet with redesigned H-links that offer better ergonomics. The notched effect on the unidirectional rotating dive bezel with a ceramic insert is new, making the bezel easier to operate than previous versions of the HydroConquest. Also, the screwed-down crown with the brand’s winged hourglass logo is protected by angular guards with a rounder, smoother finish than the watch’s predecessors. On the screwed down steel caseback, along with the brand logo is a large globe to highlight the GMT function of the watch.
Retro Themes Of The HydroConquest GMT
Four new sunray-brushed dial options include classic shades of blue and black, and retro-inspired hues of brown and green. The black dial with its 24-hour scale partly in a contrasting red on the periphery, and a red-outlined arrow on the GMT hand, looks the most striking. On the other hand, the olive green and coffee brown timepieces stand out for golden accents on their vintage-inspired dials. However, the beautiful deep-underwater blue best offsets the silvered polishing on the markers and hands.
Hour markers on the HydroConquest GMT are different from the rest of the collection too, with a triangular 12 o’clock marker, circular ones at six and nine, a date window at three, and batons for the rest. Small, neat Arabic numerals for even numbers and dots for odd stand out on the GMT scale, which is coloured in different shades for day and night. Super-LumiNova coats the hour markers, hands, and the 12 o’clock marker on the bezel, aiding legibility in all conditions.
The watches are mounted on stainless steel bracelets with H-shaped links and a micro-adjusting clasp. In addition, the blue and black versions can be paired with matching rubber straps, while the olive dial comes with a khaki green NATO strap, and the brown model is mounted on a beige NATO strap. The nylon straps add a definite touch of adventure that complements the idea behind the GMT dive watch—another bonus for explorers at heart.
New Heart Of The HydroConquest GMT
Inside the 300m water resistant case of the HydroConquest GMT lies the brand’s automatic mechanical calibre L844.5, with timekeeping, date and second time zone functions. The new silicon balance spring boasts enhanced precision and anti-magnetism, and the movement offers a power reserve of 72 hours.
There’s no doubt the Longines HydroConquest GMT offers luxury and great value. Its features make it a definite upgrade from others in this collection, rendering the HydroConquest GMT an infinitely more wearable everyday tool-watch.
