An Entry-Level Luxury Dive Watch – The Hydroconquest by Longines

When I first set eyes on it on a random reseller website, the part of the timepiece that spoke to me most was the dial – The Sunray Blue Dial which looked great in pictures, but it was something else when I first held it and saw it live. The blue dial was reflective and had different shades of blue under different levels of lighting.

You can see what I am talking about in the picture, just look at the variations of blue on the dial and coupled with the sweeping red arrow of the second hand, it’s a gorgeous dial. Everything about the dial works for me with the elevated indices, sword-shaped hands and the Super LumiNova.

This is the Longines Hydroconquest L37424966 blue variation with the automatic (Self-winding mechanical movement) calibre L888 that was exclusively built for Longines by ETA. The movement provides a power reserve of 72 hours which is quite good, even though there are watches that offer days’ worth of power reserve. This piece came with a stainless strap which I swapped with a Longines rubber strap as I love rubber straps and feel they are more suited for a dive watch.

Longines have been known to consistently make and release good timepieces over the years. The company was founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier and every watch from Longines is a reminder of the rich history as well as the long tradition that this brand brings to the table. The winged hourglass logo is the longest unchanged trademark, and it is great to see the logo engraved gloriously on the screw-down case back. The case back along with the screw-down crown does ensure that the watch comes with a 300m water resistance, hence can be used for showering, swimming, snorkelling and, of course, diving.

The dial is 41mm which sits well on the wrist and while the 11.90mm thickness is not much compared to other dive watches, it still weighs slightly over 195gms which can feel a bit heavy on the wrist. The other pet peeve is the aluminium bezel which could have been ceramic for the price, but the new models do come with it. However, I do not like the new models because the second hand is the same colour as the hour/minute hand, which in my opinion makes the dial boring. This is my personal taste though, not everyone will have the same thought. The watch comes slightly over $1000 which is not cheap but does provide quite a bit at the price point. It also comes in a black colour variation, but the blue does it for me. The new green dial version also has a killer look.

For me, this is a keeper as it is my first dive watch and a gift. Additionally, it offers a lot as a dive watch that can be used both for formal as well as casual wear. It’s my one watch for all occasions!