What We Know
Today, Longines follows up its 2024 release of the Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve with a new colorway, adding a light blue opaline dial to the mix. Yes, this one’s just a new dial color, but it offers a completely different feel from the three previous models in the very conservative shades of cream, grey, and black. The Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve serves as an homage to a 1959 model from the brand with the same kind of power reserve indication, but you can bet that they weren’t doing light blue in this watch back in the day.
The hue on the front is a refreshing change, but the styling on the dial otherwise remains the same, with a sector dial framing the unique power reserve indicator right in the center. What makes it interesting is that the power reserve isn’t just displayed by a rotating pointer, but rather by a dance between the two discs of the power-reserve hours track and the inner pointer.
This means that, depending on how you’ve wound the watch, the positioning of the pointer from full to empty may not always be the same on the dial. This certainly makes for a less intuitive setup, though in all fairness, this piece of information is probably secondary compared to the time and date, for things you’d need at a glance. A date window sits at twelve o’clock, nicely framed in an appliqué, and is accompanied by applied hour markers throughout.
The case is well-proportioned for a wide range of wrist sizes, although rather tall for a time-and-date watch, at 38mm in diameter, 12.3mm thick, and a lug-to-lug of 45.6mm. Offered in stainless steel, with brushed and polished surfaces including a polished bezel, this new colorway is available with either a steel bracelet (with microadjust!) or a grey alligator strap. Turn the watch around, and a sapphire caseback reveals the exclusive-to-Longines ETA-made L896.5 automatic caliber, beating at 25,200 VpH with a power reserve of 72 hours. The L896.5 features a silicon balance spring for better resistance to magnetic fields.
The Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve with a light blue opaline dial is available now and priced at $4,400 on a bracelet or $4,300 on a leather strap.
What We Think
Light blue seems to be a growing trend at Longines, with this new dial coming in right after the icy-blue Hydroconquest introduced at the start of the year. As far as light blue dials go, which admittedly aren’t really my jam, this one seems pleasant in its hue and saturation, and feels muted enough to still remain a versatile offering compared to the three safe color combinations that preceded this one.
What I’m very glad to see is Longines’ continued interest in this model, which is probably one of my favorite current designs in the brand’s entire collection. My love for it, thanks to that quirky power reserve, is probably the same reason why the initial launch seemed to have been a bit polarizing. Yes, I completely understand people’s reservations towards a power reserve indicator that does feel quite challenging to read, but I think it’s a creative modern execution that offers something interesting in an indication that often feels like an afterthought on a dial. And it feels quite refreshingly original while tapping into the brand’s history, and what more could you really ask for on a watch like this?
The Basics
Brand: Longines
Model: Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve
Reference Number: L1.648.4.92.6 (Bracelet); L1.648.4.92.2 (Strap)
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 12.3mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial Color: Light blue opaline
Indexes: Applied
Lume: Yes, Super-LumiNova
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Steel bracelet with microadjust clasp or grey alligator strap
The Movement
Caliber: L.896.5
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, central power reserve on two rotating discs
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 25,200 VpH
Jewels: 21
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Silicon balance spring, caliber exclusive to Longines
Pricing & Availability
Price: $4,400 (bracelet); $4,300 (strap)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
