Long-time readers of Boss Hunting will know what we think about the Longines HydroConquest dive watch collection: from form to function, there’s a lot to love. In 2023, however, the Saint-Imier watchmaker took this winning formula and stepped it up even further, with the Longines HydroConquest GMT offering refinement and robustness in equal measure.
At its core, the Longines HydroConquest collection offers watch enthusiasts everywhere a value-driven automatic dive watch, built to handle almost anything and well-designed as a genuinely contemporary diver. For those only interested in vintage-inspired watches, the Longines Heritage collection is there to scratch that itch, but for folks who prefer a more modern design, the HydroConquest is where it’s at (especially its compelling price point).
Over the last few years, Longines has expanded the HydroConquest range to include fresh materials, more strap options and even an athletic limited edition for the Commonwealth Games (worn by track runner Peter Bol). The arrival of the Longines HydroConquest GMT signifies a more substantial upgrade, not only featuring a new design and dial colours, but with a movement capable of tracking multiple timezones at once.
All counted, the Longines HydroConquest GMT line-up features seven different references across four different dial colours, with the variations being found in the choice of a steel bracelet, a rubber strap or a textile NATO strap. With the existing collection currently offering no less than five different case sizes (33mm, 39mm, 41mm, 43mm, 44mm), the new Longines HydroConquest GMT range threads the needle with a comfortably wearable 41mm case size that’s just about perfect for any dive watch.
From a design perspective, the case might be the best we’ve seen in the HydroConquest to date. With a profile that stands 12.9mm tall on the wrist, it’s thick enough to feel substantial, but not to the point of being ungainly. The vertically brushed lugs feel utilitarian, while the crown guards are softer and more ergonomically shaped than previous generations, which is a big improvement for the tactile experience of time setting and movement winding.
Another serious upgrade is the ceramic diving bezel, which boasts more comfortable notches to grip with, as well as a luminous pip at 12 ‘clock and a glossily polished surface. As you’d expect from any HydroConquest diver, both the crown and caseback are screw-down to guarantee the watches to 300m of water resistance.
The dial design has also been updated, leaving behind the quintessential oversized 6, 9, and 12 hour-markers in favour of more classic dive watch markers, all of which are filled with Super-LumiNova for low-light conditions. Around its circumference is where you’ll find the all-important 24-hour GMT scale, complete with a handy AM/PM indicator which nicely matches up with the triangle-tipped GMT hand.
While the HydroConquest range has long offered a suite of different dial colour options, from classic black and blue to more distinct grey and green, the quartet of tones on offer in the new GMT collection is fantastic. While green, black, blue and brown might sound dull on paper, their brushed sunburst finish and depth of colour elevate them to another level, which combined with the coloured bezels and other dial highlights, blend for a very good-looking impression on the wrist.
As mentioned, it’s a new movement that has made the Longines HydroConquest GMT collection possible: the L844.5 calibre. It’s an automatic movement that’s exclusively produced for the winged hourglass watchmaker, featuring a silicone balance-spring and offering a very reliable 72 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
It’s not the first GMT we’ve seen from Longines in recent years (with the debut Spirit Zulu Time and its 39mm follow-up arriving recently), but for a watchmaker that played such a critical role in the history of travel watches, it’s a move that only makes sense. By adding the GMT complication to the HydroConquest collection, Longines is giving enthusiasts exactly what they want. A hybrid dive and travel watch, which is bulletproof and won’t break the bank.
Without a doubt, the Longines HydroConquest GMT is one of our favourite new collections from Longines in recent years. Not only as a “go-anywhere, do-anything” timepiece, which is perfect for anyone who gets their passport stamped at least once a year, but also for its design improvements to the already solid HydroConquest family.
The Longines HydroConquest GMT is currently available both online and directly from Longines boutiques, with the references on steel bracelets and rubber straps costing $4,400. On a NATO strap, the RRP is $4,225.
This article is sponsored by Longines. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
