After introducing the HydroConquest GMT in 2023, Longines has kicked off its 2026 new product line with the self-winding collection. Not only does the new model complete the collection’s update; it also comes with a long list of product improvements.
Since 2007, Longines’ entry-level contemporary diver’s watch has evolved, ranking among the longest-established collections in the business. Coming up next is a fully renovated collection, in keeping with the brand’s relentless evolution.
Fostering a continuous improvement process
Longines is often regarded as a conservative watch brand; product innovation knows no boundaries, but it usually comes in one step at a time, especially when a range extension is deployed.
In brief, each contemporary collection marks a leap forward over the outgoing one in style and content, whereas the range expansion follows a continuous improvement journey.
The 2026 HydroConquest comes in smoothly, in contrast to its more daring 2023 HydroConquest GMT sibling. However, don’t think the HydroConquest is a teardown GMT; that’s much more than a Diver GMT minus the GMTcomplication.
Still, the new diving watch product range welcomes upgrades so significant that they place a Hydroconquest Automatic above the line.
Two case sizes and several product upgrades
The 2026 HydroConquest Automatic comes in 39 and 42 mm case sizes, replacing an offering that had grown considerably over the years: say goodbye to the 39, 41, and 43 mm HydroConquest, which had grown an unstoppable list of SKUs.
Simplified and standardised, it introduces customer-driven improvements over a crazy-large product mix, whose triggers are often commercial.
Regarding the core offering, we have counted no fewer than six options, available in two sizes, with an integrated H-shaped mid-link bracelet or a mesh one closing on a beautifully engineered clasp with a micro-adjustment mechanism and double safety push-buttons.
Whatever the choice, the 11.70 mm thickness slims down the 12.90 mm-thick HydroConquest GMT collection and introduces, as said, a Milanese mesh bracelet.
I won’t say I like how it fits a 300-meter sports watch, and it can hardly grow on me, but the slimmer case profile makes it easy for the owner to customise the watch to their liking.
Longines’ engineers have fixed one of the outgoing collection’s weakest areas: the bezel’s ratcheting. They painstakingly improved it and nailed it: the bezel’s rotation is smoother, yet each click is as precise as it is nice to listen to.
Also, the applied baton indexes are larger than on a GMT and glow stronger in the dark. We can confirm that the 2026 HydroConquest slightly outperforms the GMT in many areas.
Dials and Options
The former are all almost lacquered, available in blue, black, green, plus a sunray ice blue, paired with five ceramicbezel variants: blue, black, intense green, slate grey, and luminous blue.
Ice blue dial and dark blue bezel combine on a boutique edition available on the Longines e-commerce platform and in “shop-in-shop” boutiques, in either size to complete a fourteen-model offering (a black bezel-to-ice blue standard model option is also available).
How much does a Longines HydroConquest weigh? A 39 mm model with a three-link bracelet weighs 168g, as opposed to a 42mm model weighing 181 g. Add a Milanese mesh bracelet, and you’ll drop to 155g and 166g, respectively.
The distance between the lugs measures 21 mm on the 42 mm model and 20 mm on the 39 mm model, the brand claims, tapering to 16.0 mm towards the clasp, in line with a widespread design trend to make the watch look sleeker on the wrist.
A closed case back, as seen on a GMT, features a world map with the LONGINES logo at the top and exudes elegance and product consistency.
What a pity it is not aligned, since it would help foster the brand’s commitment to attention to detail. Still, the most attractive topic regards the adoption of LIGA technology, despite not being a first for the brand.
Longines’ L888.5 caliber
The tried-and-tested 3.5 Hz self-winding movement with a 72-hour power reserve features an escapement manufactured using LIGA technology, whose hard-to-read acronym (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung) enables the manufacture of ultra-precise nickel-phosphorus components.
Longines is likely the only brand in this price and market segment to adopt LIGA, which confirms the brand’s commitment to ever-better, more precise watches.
However, that’s not a brand’s first: a 2023 HydroConquest GMT came with a LIGA-crafted escapement. Did Longines ever tell us when introducing the HydroConquest GMT?
Among the watch brands that adopt LIGA components, for instance, I’ll list Japanese luxury brand THE CITIZEN and Indie brand Laurent Ferrier.
Longines has partnered with its sister company, NIVAROX, to produce the escapement. Still, I found that there are other highly specialised companies on Swiss soil producing several LIGA-made watchmaking parts.
Final Thoughts
Longines is among the most surprising watch brands, and I praise how they pushed the envelope of product development, along with unstoppable improvement on style and “touch and feel”.
I’m especially surprised by how they improved their mechanical movements, abandoning some standardisation processes that might, conversely, have limited their creative independence.
From a design perspective, a 2026 HydroConquest is a nice, well-built, and comfortable watch. My favourites are the boutique edition, which brings new vibes, and the slate grey bezel, each measuring 39 mm across.
In contrast, I can’t fully understand why they opted for a matte-finished case and bracelet; I would have gone all-in with a more mirror-polished look.
Down to the price list, things get interesting, proving Longines’ commitment to offering customers best-in-class value for money. All models cost between €2,200 and €2,350, a stunning price point and on par with the outgoing collection.
However, there’s no competition in terms of class, product execution, or performance, and I suggest that Longines introduces an all-titanium 39 mm model with a no-date dial anytime soon.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®)
In this article:
Line
It is the measurement unit that identifies the size of a movement. According to this measurement system, one line corresponds to 2,255mm.
GMT
It is the acronym for Greenwich Mean Time and identifies a complication capable of displaying two or more time zones on the dial. The complication usually couples a 24-hour rotating…
Complication
The addition of any mechanical complication to a movement that usually displays the time.
Case
It encases the mechanical movement and is crafted in one or more parts. It can also be a single piece, as with some professional diving watches, or made of unconventional…
Bezel
The bezel is particularly useful on diving watches, allowing you to check dive times. In this case, it unidirectionally rotates and usually comes in two parts: a metal (or ceramic,…
Ceramic
Widely used for crafting a watch case and, in recent years, also for the bezels of diving watches and dials. Obtained from zirconia powder (ZrO2), ceramic offers superior scratch resistance…
Case back
It can be screwed in, pressure-fastened, or secured to the case via screws. Occasionally, it comes as a single piece, with the case of specific professional diving watches (for example,…
Power Reserve
A mechanical watch feature displays, on the dial or the case back, the remaining power in a watch movement, showing the length of time until the timepiece must be rewound.
Date
It indicates the date of the month. There are different types of display: via a window or a pointer, where an additional hand is usually placed centrally or on a…
