Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

For a long time, quartz watches were to be neglected by the watch enthusiast. Watches without a soul, could often be heard. But that seems to be changing: meet the Longines Conquest VHP GMT.Longines introduced their new collection of VHP watches in 2017, guaranteeing accuracy with a maximum deviation of 5 seconds per year. VHP stands for Very High Precision, and thats exactly what it is. Already in the 1980s, Longines had their VHP quartz watches but they disappeared again at some point. In those days, the accuracy was impressive, but not what they promised back in 2017. Longines is not alone in their battle for the best (quartz) accuracy: Grand Seiko is pushing hard with their 9F quartz mov [...]

Longines simply can't make a bad Heritage watch.Out of all the Swatch Group brands, Longines is the one company that nails their vintage reeditions 99% of the time. They are also doing it with a very small but talented design team in house. I should know, I've met them in Basel last year (thank you Swatch Group Germany!). For many years now the Longines Heritage models are the favorites of the press (first) and the enthusiasts (as soon as the pieces hit the stores). This was exactly the case last year when during this aforementioned visit the guys showed me not only one but two future-Heritage watches. The first was the Military Pilot, which I reviewed in March. The second was this cool piec [...]

Hello neighbors, welcome back to This Week in Watches for April 13, 2019.Did you miss last week's episode of This Week in Watches?? Well, I missed me too, but as much as I love jawing at you fine folks, there was simply nothing to talk about last weekend.? Plus, I was still feeling good about myself for playing a dirty April Fools trick on you about the demise of the steel Submariner.? It was clickbait for sure yes, I am guilty because something like 200,000 of you poured onto the site to read about the death of a watch you can't buy anyhow!? Well, don't worry, the Submariner and the rest of the enigmatic group of Rolex steel sports watches are still around.? They're ready to jump onto t [...]

If the name sounds familiar to you, it is no coincidence. There already was a Longines Heritage Military before but in the current collection, theres only this one today and we review it today for you.RAFThe Longines Heritage Military takes inspiration from the pilots watches used by the British Royal Air Force during World War II. You might have seen very similar models from Omega, most recently in the movie DunkirkC as Tom Hardy's character, an RAF pilot, is wearing one. Though that watch had a large steel bezel it is essentially the same design. Longines produced the same watches with and without the steel 60-second bezel just like Omega. They were special orders from the British Ministry [...]

Two different price tags, two different styles, yet one of our readers asks us to help him to make a decision.?We already included the Longines HydroConquest in a previous You Asked Us article, but this time, the popular affordable diving watch is up against a brand from the same stable: Tissot. The Tissot Powermatic 80 Seastar 1000 is a bit cheaper and has a slightly different appearance, so it comes down to taste and,?perhaps, technical specifications.You Asked Us: Tissot Powermatic 80 Seastar 1000 or Longines HydroConquestOur reader Amar contacts us to ask about the Tissot Powermatic 80 and the Longines HydroConquest (2018 model). He adds: The Tissot is a bit cheaper but has 80 hours of p [...]

Most of you who want to buy a watch, select based on price and brand name. It turns out that very few are after a specific complication. But for those who do care about functionality, there are a couple of interesting propositions on the market for perpetual calendars, moon phase?watches, chronographs, divers and now an annual calendar as well. Brands like Montblanc and Frederique Constant achieved?being able to offer a perpetual calendar under 10.000 Euro not long ago. This year, Longines makes it possible for you to buy an annual calendar with their Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar watch for under 2000 Euro.Longines Master Collection Annual CalendarThis year, Longines caught us b [...]

If there's one modern Longines that left me with a huge impression, it is the Longines Legend Diver. Preferably the version without date, but CEO Walter von K?nel decided otherwise a few years ago and discontinued the non-date model. This year, Longines added some variation to the Legend Diver, with this all black version. Meet the Longines Legend Diver in Black.This Longines Legend Diver in Black (reference L3.774.2.50.9) is just like the other Legend Divers, part of the heritage collection. A collection that is only a small portion of Longines annual production of an estimated 1.3 million pieces. A huge number, but the number of different references from Longines is also quite impressive. [...]

When you have around 1000 Euro to spend on a watch, you can go Japanese with Seiko or Citizen, you can find your way in the numerous Kickstarter projects or microbrands, but is there also still something from the established Swiss brands for you?Longines HydroConquestWhy talk about a watch that has been on the market for 10 years? Well, some times a watch is interesting enough to give it some (new) coverage for a couple of reasons. One is that this watch has become so well-known and a best seller from Longines, we want to know see ?why. In this case, we thought it would be interesting to focus on this watch due to its interesting price point (for such a large Swiss brand) and see what it ha [...]

Longines has leveraged its outstanding expertise in quartz technology to create the ultimate high-precision wristwatch: the all-new Conquest V.H.P. This collection constitutes another milestone in the history of quartz timepieces, successfully incorporating many features of today's smart connected watches, such as ultra-precision, technical sophistication and a sporty feel, without any of the drawbacks, and all this while preserving the brand's signature elegance. The watch also has an in-built system that resynchronises the hands after exposure to a shock or a magnetic field, a world first that guarantees timekeeping which is as accurate as the new-generation quartz movement itself. Around [...]

Longines Heritage 1945I can comfortably say that this year is about time-only watches. Not that we did not see any three-handed watches the previous years but the amount of coolness the brands present this year in this segment is remarkable. Omega (Railmaster), Montra (Triumph), Tissot (Ballade) or Nomos (basically any 2017 novelty) are just a few brands to mention with such watches. There was however one other brand that stood out; Longines. For many years now we got used to the fact that when it comes to BaselWorld we would see something great from them. We did not disappoint in them this year either. Their Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary is spot on when it comes to being as close to th [...]

On April 18th 1891, a train crash in?Kipton, Ohio took the lives of 11 people?and was caused by railroad engineers watches not being in sync (4 minutes difference). This accident led to new strict standars for railroad watches in 1893. Where todays trains are controlled by high-tech systems using GPS, in those days the network heavily relied on the railroad watches to safely operate and control the train time table.Due to the 1891 accident (and many accidents before), the?Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission presented new guidelines, referred to as the General Railroad Timepiece Standards. These guidelines consisted of:Be open face (no lid over the dial), size 18 or 16 (size 18 equals 44. [...]

Not too long ago, we did an in-depth review on the Longines Conquest Heritage 1954. A beautiful watch of a collection that referred to those very first models of this collection. However, not everyone is into these watches with retro designs. The Longines Conquest Classic Moonphase is something different though. This model grabs back to some ingredients of its heritage but is also a modern and up-to-date timepiece with regards to its appearance.Longines is to us a watch manufacturer that is able to create watches with very interesting complications at an affordable price. I dont want to use the phrase affordable luxury too much, as I dont like the term luxury, but thats basically what it i [...]

I remember when being a kid, our neighbor showed me his new timepiece. A Seiko with a moon phase. I was very intrigued by it, not even knowing it was just a quartz watch and that a mechanical moon phase watch would be much more complicated. It must have been mid-1980s somewhere, so what did I know?In any case, a moon phase disc on the dial of a watch is ever since something magical to me. It became even more magical when I learned about mechanical timepieces in the mid/late 1990s. It is one of the complications on a watch, not being a very useful one, that I really love.It is a real challenge though, to find a mechanical timepiece with a moon phase complication that comes at an affordable pr [...]

Longines Conquest HeritageLongines seems to be spot on with the Heritage models that they are introducing. We recently did a comparison review between the original Longines Flagship Heritage and an original Longines Flagship (you can read it here), but it seems that Longines is taking the release of the Conquest Heritage a step further and makes it a real tribute by even using the 35mm case size of the original version. Thats right, 35mm. It is quite daring even, for a watch brand to release a mens watch in 35mm these days.Although we appreciate the efforts of a lot of watch brands to create something retro, to use ingredients of watches from the past to create something new, to target the a [...]

We have a weak spot for affordable mechanical watches. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming about a complicated piece of haute horlogerie with a flying tourbillon from one of the prestigious big brands out there or from one of the indepedent watch makers. But in all honesty, how many people are fortunate enough to actually wear one on the wrist?Here at Fratellowatches we have a weak spot for brands who are capable to put an interesting mechanical watch in the market that is affordable and nice to wear on a daily basis. With the Legend Diver (a review on it can be found here), Longines caught our attention as a brand to keep an eye on. After that, we reviewed their Heritage 1951 ch [...]

Longines is one of those brands that perform very well when it comes to new watches, but also has its share of collectors of their vintage collection. With over 180 years of history, there are definitely some very interesting Longines timepieces to consider. Both from their actual catalog as well as from their past. Nowadays, Longines is part of the Swatch Group and is positioned somewhere between Omega and Tissot. Also based on some watch market data we have, we identified that watch consumers also positions this brand between Omega and Tissot and noticed an increased interest in Longines over the past few quarters.An interesting trend, as I also see a decline in interest in a number of wat [...]

Longines was so kind to lend us their Legend Diver Date timepiece for a while. This means that I can wear it for a while and our photographer Bert can take his time to shoot some proper photos of the watch.I have a weak spot for vintage watches, but I am not so keen on having them serviced or repaired to often. When you buy a vintage watch, you absolutely need to take into account that it will need an overhaul at some point. Also the fact that not every part might be available anymore is not very attractive to me. When a watchmaker (or factory) is out of parts, it means you are left behind with a watch with issues. Trust me, I had my share of watches that needed parts that werent around anym [...]

Longines is one of those brands that clearly marked certain eras in the past when it comes to watchmaking. This brand from Saint Imier in Switzerland has a rich history in timekeeping that goes back as far as 1832. However, from our own interest in the brand we can say that in the 1950s and 1960s, Longines had these wonderful Conquest watches with a beautiful gold and [hand painted] green medallion on the caseback. In the 1970s, Longines followed the Swiss industry with sports watches featuring integrated bracelets. In the 1980s, Longines was a well known name in timekeeping and sponsoring of Formula 1 racing (Ferrari). Furthermore, they developed and introduced their VHP (very high precisio [...]

Just a few weeks ago, in the sunny and colorful city of Miami, Maurice Lacroix released something funky the new Aikon tide. Its the latest and most eco-friendly member of the Aikon collection. Fratello was there to witness the launch of this exciting summer watch that has much more to offer than it seems.Thanks to its competitive price, fresh looks, and environmental conscientiousness, there is little doubt that it will be a summer favorite for the new generation of watch lovers in 2022 and beyond.City of colorsIf you have been to Miami, you know that the southern Florida city is pulsating with life. Whether you are cruising downtown, taking a stroll in the Design District, or relaxing on S [...]

Today, I am joined in the studio by Monica Porracin, the founder and director of The Blue Company. Based in London, the Blue Company manages the interests of seven popular brands in the UK, working as a distributor for some and an agent for others.Monica represents Doxa, Junghans, Meistersinger, Maurice Lacroix, Muhle Glashutte, Scatola del Tempo, and SwissKubik in the UK and at events all around the world. Her tireless championing of brands that she sees as united by a mutually strong design DNA has earned her the respect of her peers.The Blue Company was founded in 2008, giving Porracin over ten years of specific experience in this sector of the industry. As such, she has amassed a broad k [...]