The Longines Conquest Heritage Power Reserve watch hands-on

Introduction

2024 marks a relevant anniversary at Longines; one of the brand’s long-established collections, the Conquest, turns seventy, and the new Conquest Heritage Power Reserve breaks cover worldwide.

The brand took the curtain off the new collection during a press media event starring Giuseppe Miccio, Head of Product and Development, who guided us through product concept and development; we sat down with him, and our video interview will soon appear.

Seventy years in the making: the Longines Conquest

Introduced in 1954, the Longines Conquest ref.9001 was the first-ever Longines watch whose name was registered at Bern’s Federal Office of Intellectual Property.

The Conquest is one of Longines’ most recognizable watches, a milestone to a milestone-setting brand, and has preserved its original look and feel.

Then, it came the glorious Longines Conquest***, equally sized at 35 mm, five years later. The above is the legendary reference 9028, powered by the calibre 292, whose primary feat was a centrally-displayed power reserve via concentric, rotating discs; it is as simple and easy to read as it gets.

Fast forward to 1984, it turned into a sports watch on a bracelet, i.e. the Conquest VHP Ref. 4952, equipped with the Very High Precision 276 movement capable of a plus or minus one minute in five years accuracy. The latest iteration is the ultra-classic Conquest Heritage, which appeared in 2014 to celebrate the collection’s 60th anniversary.

2024 brings the 1959 model back in business and in a more contemporary yet exquisite 38 mm size.

Discovering the new Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve

It’s hard to see (in the industry and this product category) that the same mechanical complication is now available as it was seventy years ago.

The new Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve pays faithful tribute to the 1959 model both technically and stylistically, let alone the giant technical leap between old and new.

A golden ratio’s case

While the case has grown from 35 mm to 38 mm, sitting slightly below the 40 mm threshold, the technical package summarizes Longines’ state-of-the-art engineering.

Longines didn’t provide the case thickness; it is close to 12 mm, glass included, according to our measurements. The disc-operated power reserve display lets the wearer track and visualize the slow energy release.

You can wind it manually, thus bringing that vintage hand-winding experience back to life. Align the small black baton to number 64, and you’ll get the L896.5 calibre fully wound.

At-a-glance power reserve

Once it’s fully wound, the two discs move as a single piece, and you’re free to arrange it per your liking, as our pictures show.

A 72-hour power reserve means you’re still provided eight additional hours once the scale has reached zero capacity, and the wearer is therefore advised to wind the crown anytime soon.

The Longines caliber L896.5

It’s vintage looking and feeling, yet quintessentially contemporary. The movement comes with all the latest technologies, like a silicon hairspring and an ISO 764-compliant magnetic resistance.

The movement is visible through the transparent case back, revealing perlage on the bridges and Côtes de Genève on the winding mass; here are two signature decorations on most Longines calibres.

We love the excellent Super-Compressor-like ring (despite the case being waterproof to 50 metres), it makes the watch’s case back attractive from any angle and proves the effort to raise the bar of perceived value.

Three dial options at launch

The dial deserves a separate section; it adds that vintage, eye-catching look. Flat in the centre and rounded towards the outer ring, it’s richly detailed and works well with each of the chosen trims.

The applied baton indexes are in 5N rose gold, 2N yellow or silver paired with champagne, anthracite or black dial and cross a circular track except for the date window at twelve.

Also, the hour and minute hands and four dots on the dial are filled with luminescent material and offer an acceptable lume performance, providing a stunning contrast against the anthracite dial, especially.

Final thoughts

The new Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve is exquisite. Holding the 2024 product preview proves how much Longines cares about the Conquest and its anniversary. Looking at the three available options, we’d opt for the champagne dial in terms of readability and brightness, but the anthracite one is our favourite in refinement.

Set any subjective opinions aside, the whole offering stands out for its build quality and confirms Longines is quickly growing as a watchmaker.

However, we’d soon equip the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve with the bracelet pictured above, thus dramatically extending the audience. The Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve is priced at €4,300. For more information, please visit the official Longines website.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®