Last weekend Longines strengthened the link between two worlds; the equestrian world, for which the brand has been an ambassador for more than a century and that of sports timekeeping, in which the brand is one of the leading players and whose V.H.P. (Very High Precision) technology can be considered as the watching alter ego of the sports timekeeping systems for which Longines is famous (its museum sports lots of timekeeping systems that were developed in modern times).
The tradition of quartz has never been given up altogether, even when the 70s ended and the mechanical watch made its come-back as the real protagonist; it is a choice that President Von Känel is very proud of and the turnover of the brand shows that he was right.
Longines has continued to use and develop the quartz technologies, but with the V.H.P. technology it has taken a decisive leap forward by showing that advanced quartz technologies have great margins for development and spread.
The interpretation by Longines is original and, the same way the brand organized one of the most elegant and majestic events in the world of watchmaking (I am talking about the Italian chapter of the Longines Global Champions Tour organized in the Stadio dei Marmi in Rome), the manufacturer shaped up its V.H.P. collection by maintaining a consistent approach towards its image as a creator of elegant watches sporting intelligent functions.
Please make sure that you don’t mistake a Longines Conquest V.H.P. with a smartwatch because that would be a big mistake as it has nothing to do with a satellite or radio-controlled watch of Japanese origin, for example.
The Global Champions Tour in Rome was a welcome return, three years after our participation in the Monte Carlo Champions Tour.
The competition area that was built three years ago in the Montecarlo harbour has now been replaced by the grandeur of the international event at the Stadio dei Marmi. Longines created a hospitality setting, where it welcomed journalists, VIPs and insiders as well as a stadium, where Roman people and fans of horse riding alike could enjoy this experience by browsing the brand’s boutique; a pop-up store built inside the structure, and his Carosello.
The size of the event, the quality of its organization, the theme, the amount and the importance of its guests can give us an idea of how Longines invested in it and the brand continues to believe more and more in its relationship with the world of horse riding, so much so that it is the only brand that created a collection, the Equestrian, exclusively dedicated to equitation and to women.
Moving now from the Global Champions Tour to the product itself, Longines gave space to the international launch of the Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting that follows the 2017 launch of the first V.H.P. collection with which the brand showed us that it is possible to craft a sports watch with a European flavour and the best quartz technology without invading the smartwatch niche that have nothing to do with the philosophy of the brand and its audience alike.
The Longines Conquest V.H.P. is a classic three-hands-watch finished like the best sports three-hands-watch with a date, but with the addition of a perpetual calendar complication and an incredible ease of use, where a Smart Crown allows the user to adjust all the functions of the watch and a system called GPD (“Gear Position Detection) that sets the correct time if the watch undergoes an impact or the effect of a magnetic field that could alter the correct time.
The most precise Longines watch in the world has an accuracy degree of +/– 5 seconds per year and the launch of the GMT version took place the day after the English Ben Maher confirmed his supremacy with an exceptional performance in the high hurdles.
From the Stadio dei Marmi we moved to the Lanterna; the glass and steel structure designed by Fuksas that spans across the four floors of the former Military Union headquarters, a stone’s throw from Via Condotti, and from where you can enjoy a fantastic view of Rome’s city centre.
It is here that Walter von Känel and Juan–Carlos Capelli, the Vice President of Longines and the Head of International Marketing, presented the Conquest V.H.P. GMT Flash Setting; the second chapter of the collection and a model that is even more important than the first one because it is dedicated to globe-trotters.
On this occasion also the brand paved the way for an original path by introducing the Flash Setting function; through an App and the smartphone the user can update the time with a simple flash that connects the smartphone with a small window located within the index at 12 o’clock and without the use of any Bluetooth or NFC connection. A very useful addition to the current collection and yet another milestone in the brand’s history.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®, Longines)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
