Review Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve – for 70th anniversary of the “Conquest” [live photos, price]

Łukasz Doskocz22.03.202422.03.20247 min. of reading

Celebrating 7 decades of the Conquest family, Longines presents a classic Heritage model with an unusual, central power reserve and three very different dial colours.

In 1954 Longines presented an all-new watch in its portfolio, called the Conquest. Although it was rather classic in style, it was also supposed to be a casual, even sporty watch with exploring in mind. 5 years later the collection added reference 9028, equipped with a power reserve indicator on the dial. For its times it was a rather avant-garde design but surprisingly did not withstand the try of time. 7 decades later, for the 70^th anniversary of the collection, the design returns in full glory, in a strongly inspired by the origial, but also contemporary interpretation, fit for modern times. Also with a lot of details, representing a new level of Longines watchmaking.

Central Power Reserve

Let’s start with a key element of the new watches – the central power reserve indicator. But first a small digression. Power reserve indication in a mechanical watch plays the role of telling the wearer, when a main spring is getting empty and requires some winding. While in a manually wound watch it makes a lot a sense (and function), in an automatic it feels questionable. This type of movements sort of winds itself when you move your wrist around, so when you wear your watch it is rather unlikely it will loose all its power, that is replenished – as the name suggests – automatically. So why would one need it in an automatic watch? Unless it plays a vital role in the esthetical part of the design.

In the case of Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve the main stage belongs to the aforementioned power reserve. Just like in the 1959 watch, it consist of two rotating discs, mounted on the central axis of the dial. The first one – the outer ring – has a printed 64 h scale (exact power reserve of the watch). The second, inner disc, acts as a indicating hand with a printed, rectangular marker. Both discs rotate in opposite directions, in combination indicating how much power there is left in the tank.

At first I found this rather unusual indicator rather odd, but it has fast been replaced with sort of appreciation for esthetical consistency and an interesting mechanical spectacle. It’s best witnessed when you wind the watch manually (with a non-screw, comfortable crown) but even as a permanent element of the entire composition, works just fine. Also fits the entire design of the dial well, which being rather busy keeps the elegant, classic feel – balanced and without exaggeration.   

Other than the power reserve, the dial is composed of applied, angled hour marks, painted minutes track and the date window. It is peculiarly placed on top, at 12 o’clock, surrounded by a trapezoidal, polished frame. Both on top and underneath power reserve discs there is some text printed, with brand’s name, collection and the type of the movement. For a classic watch like this there is a lot going on, but all seams to be well thought-out and in place. How you see it depends highly on which colour you go for. New Conquest comes with a choice of three dials: grey with rose gold details, black with silver elements and champagne with some yellow gold touches.     

The black, monochromatic model is the most casual of the series, with a perfect daily-watch quality, fit for almost everything you might wear. The champagne one (with a pleasant, warm, creamy vibe, boosted by yellow gold appliques) comes as a lot more elegant, perfect for a more formal, tailored wardrobe. A rather formal character is also highlighted by hardly any luminova to be found, other than two small, rectangular markers at 3 and 9 o’clock and on the hands. They are shaped like slim skyscrapers, with a straight base and a thin, pointy top just like spires on said buildings.

Exterior and comfort

The new Conquest is also new, highly detailed case. Elegant, with balanced proportions, varying finish and one rather significant drawback. It is made out of stainless steel, shaped to be compact but subtle and rather classy. The lugs are short but wide and with a pleasing beveled edge. They are 19 mm wide, which balances the 38 mm case quite well. Vast majority of the case has been neatly polished, apart from the flanks with some vertical brushing. Whenever there is a mixed type of finishing applied to the case, it always suggests high quality (when done right) and higher level of execution. The offered strap is a black alligator leather with a glossy finish, tapering towards the classic buckle, adorned with Longines hourglass.

Polished, slightly domed bezel holds the box-shaped sapphire crystal, protected with antireflective coating on both sides. Another piece of sapphire encloses the back, with some basic information engraved on the steel ring. Measured with the glass, the Conquest Heritage CPR case is 12,5 mm thick – which is the aforementioned drawback of the design. Compared with a rather modest dimension, it is quite a lot and can be noticed when you wear the watch and look at it form the side. Caseback protrudes significantly and I have a feeling, that there could be a millimeter or two shaved of rather easily. While it’s significant, the thickness of the case does not mean the wearability isn’t satisfying, and it is a comfortable, light watch to wear.

Movement

Benefiting form the Swatch Group participation, Longines can design new watches with confidence, that there is a movement supplier to fulfill the needs. New complication called for a new caliber, an automatic-winding L896.5.

It offers 72 h of power reserve and ticks at 25 200 bph. The regulator is supplied with a silicon spring, which provides magnetic resistance and thus a better chronometric characteristics. All the energy is generated by a large, centrally mounted rotor, with an option to add some energy via the crown. You also use it to set the time (stop-second mechanism) and adjust the date (quick change). Like all other Longines calibers, this one is also machine-finished with some Geneva stripes on the semi-skeletonized rotor (with a cut-out Longines logo) and perlage on the bridges.

Impressions on the watch

The 70^th birthday of the Conquest – the collection that is fundamental to the band’s rich history – will surely provide a great opportunity for Longines to present a lineup of commemorative models. The first one being the Heritage Central Power Reserve is a rather odd choice when you think of it. In theory a safe option would be to commence celebration with a classic, simple, minimalist watch, like a re-edition of the original from 1954. Instead Longines decide to play “all-in” and reach for an old reference, that is only probably known to the most faithful of the brand’s connoisseurs, and anonymous to everyone else. And this is where we come to main conclusion about the watch and that a classic piece does not necessarily have to be simple to preserve…  classic simplicity.

My very premier impression of too much going on and an unnecessary complication of the Conquest Central Power Reserve has soon been replaced by an acknowledgement of how Longines made a classic watch the original way (of course, with a bit of historic background). It wasn’t an easy task, but the central indication of power reserve – useful or not – adds an interesting twist to a classic watch, without interrupting it’s pure elegance. There are also all the other small things, like the 12 o’clock date with a nicely finished frame, adding an extra touch and quality feel to the watch. An upgraded quality and a step up the watchmaking ladder is evident in this new Longines, and that also results in a higher price tag. Each of the three Heritage Conquest Central Power Reserve is priced at 4 200 EUR. One could say at this point, that the watches “were already cheap”, and they will go up in price inevitably, making our fine hobby more and more pricey. But in this particular case, the new Longines watch offers quite a lot for the money, from the clever and unique design, through pampered details all the way to proprietary movement with an interesting complication. Which also makes me curious about what can we expect this year from the St. Imier based manufacture. It all starts very tasty indeed.