Hands-On: The New Third-Gen Longines Hydroconquest

November 22, 2013

The Longines Hydroconquest has been a popular dive watch in the slightly more accessible segment since 2007. Initially sold in both automatic and quartz versions, it offered an attainable taste of serious dive-watch prowess from a heritage brand. The Hydroconquest underwent a major overhaul in 2018 and another in 2023. While that latest generation updated the GMT model, no V3 time-and-date diver was available yet. That changes today.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings I got a chance to handle the new Longines Hydroconquest in 39mm and 42mm sizes. A total of six colorways enter the standard collection. I went hands-on with the 39mm version with a dark blue dial and the 42mm model with a frosted blue sunray dial. Lets have a closer look!The new Longines Hydroconquest specificationsThe latest Longines Hydroconquest features a stainless steel case with a screw-in steel case back and screw-down crown. A sapphire crystal and glossy ceramic bezel insert create a scratch-resistant top surface. The large version has a 42mm diameter, 51.2mm length, 11.7mm thickness, and 21mm lug spacing. The smaller version offers a 39mm 48.1mm 11.7mm case and takes a 20mm-wide bracelet. Both versions have a 300m water resistance rating. Inside ticks the Longines-exclusive automatic caliber L888.5. This provides a 72-hour power reserve and runs at 25,200 vibrations per hour. Its silicon hairspring ensures resistance to magnetic fields, compliant with the ISO 764 standard. In this guise, the caliber provides a date indicator, which is visible through the aperture at 3 o clock on the dial.The new Hydroconquest comes in blue, black, or green on stainless steel H-link bracelets. Alternatively, you can opt for black-and-blue, sunray frosted blue, or slate-gray versions on a Milanese bracelet, a first for the range. Both bracelet options offer a smooth push-button-operated micro-adjust with around 5mm of range. Each of the six color-and-bracelet options comes in both sizes, boosting the total to 12 new standard-production references. Two more in either size, pairing the sunray blue with a blue bezel and H-link bracelet, are offered as boutique and e-commerce-exclusive versions.The 38mm model on my 18cm wristWearing the new Longines Hydroconquest modelsWhichever size you choose, it is good to realize that these watches wear large for their stated proportions. A bit of bezel overhang means they could have just as easily been labeled at 40mm and 43mm instead of 39mm and 42mm. Paired with the muscular case, this makes for a pair of assertive divers with strong wrist presence. The stance suits the aggressive, sporty styling well, so no complaints there.The 42mm model on my 18cm wristOn my 18cm wrist, the 39mm version is the easy winner. Granted, that is coming from someone with a taste for vintage and smaller watches. Overall, the 39mm Hydroconquest appears a bit more condensed and focused in real life. The 42mm version looks a bit blown up in comparison, especially when you look at the negative space on the dial. I suspect this is a classic case of trying them on and seeing which suits your wrist and frame better.Beyond proportions, these are unapologetic modern sports watches. Bold printing on the insert, large teeth on the bezel, big crown guards, glossy surfaces, and broad lugs all conspire to form a big statement. If you seek a do-it-all, classically elegant dive watch, I would steer you towards the more retro Longines Legend Diver. If you want a bold, contemporary sports watch, the Hydroconquest could be for you.A new dial designReviewing the Longines Hydroconquests dials from generation one until today, we see the evolution of recurring themes. The sunray finishing made way for solid, glossy surfaces on all but the frosted blue variant. The characteristic 6, 9, and 12 numerals disappeared in 2023. Overall, the dials have evolved toward greater simplicity.The numerals at 12 made way for a dive-watch-archetypal triangle, and the dot markers in between have been replaced with applied hash marks. The 6 and 9, meanwhile, forfeit their position to two dot markers.While I generally like the changes, these two dots look out of place to me. I am unsure whether it is because were so used to seeing hashes and dots in reversed positions or whether the one at 9 o clock fails to balance out a rectangular date window at 3. Whatever the cause, the result feels slightly unbalanced to me.Build and finishingThe new Longines Hydroconquest looks and feels solid. The bezel action is nice and clicky, with an acceptable amount of backplay and good alignment. Operating the crown is a joy, feeling super stable and buttery smooth.The bracelet drapes nicely, directly from the female end links. While you get no quick-release pins, the micro-adjustment mechanism is very good, feeling smooth and confident in its positioning. The Milanese mesh bracelet features attractive, dense weaving. It tapers, which is rare for a bracelet of this type. Unfortunately, it features removable links, which always look a bit odd on mesh bracelets. That may be a personal pet peeve, though.The watchs finishing looks and feels on par with the $2,200 (on H-Link bracelet) or $2,300 (on Milanese bracelet) price. You dont get the deep, tactile brushing that you get on the spirit line, but I have no complaints.Closing thoughts on the third-generation Longines HydroconquestThe new Longines Hydroconquest subtly updates a dive watch that was already good. Operating at the entry level for heritage-brand divers, the latest Hydroconquest offers a lot of watch for the money. It skillfully navigates the line between classically archetypal and derivative, steering clear of the latter.All in all, I have an easy time recommending the Longines Hydroconquest to those looking for a bold, modern dive watch from a big name in watchmaking. It doesnt break new ground with innovative design features. Instead, it offers the classical dive watch feature set in a smooth, modern guise. I am sure these will lure many new enthusiasts into the Longines universe.What do you think of the new Longines Hydroconquest? Let us know in the comments section below!This is a preferred-position post.?Learn more.Watch specifications Brand Longines Model Hydroconquest Dial Blue, black, green, slate gray, or frosted blue, applied luminous indexes, date windowCase Material Stainless steel with ceramic bezel insertCase Dimensions 42mm (diameter) 51.2mm (lug-to-lug) 11.7mm (thickness) / 39mm (diameter) 48.1mm (lug-to-lug) 11.7mm (thickness) Crystal SapphireCase Back Stainless steel, screw-in Movement Longines L888.2: automatic with manual winding and hacking seconds, 25,200vph (3.5Hz) frequency, 72-hour power reserve, 21 jewelsWater Resistance 300 meters (30 atm)Strap Stainless steel H-link bracelet (with black dial, blue dial, or green dial) or Milanese bracelet (with black dial/blue bezel, frosted blue dial, or slate gray dial)Functions Time (hours, minutes, seconds), date, unidirectional dive-time bezelPrice $2,200 (H-link bracelet) / $2,300 (Milanese bracelet)