Meet the new Longines Ultra-Chron Watch
Thursday - 23 June 2022
The new Longines Ultra-Chron watch is a decidedly handsome dive watch with an eye-catching mid-century styling and a highly accurate movement that surpasses chronometric standards.
With so many ways to keep accurate time these days, be that on a phone, a computer or a television, the emphasis is put on precision more than ever. When Longines first released the Spirit watch collection, its all-chronometer standard appealed to many luxury watch enthusiasts, not to mention Longines enthusiasts. Now, the release of the Longines Ultra-Chron brings with it a new high-frequency calibre and reinterprets the original Longines Ultra-Chron Diver watch of 1968, setting Longines apart as a pioneer in the world of sports timing.
An icon is reborn
The new collection features a stainless steel bracelet option and a stylish brown leather strap option. Both reflect the iconic design codes of their ancestor and draw upon the manufacturer’s legacy in developing high-beat movements for over 100 years. Back in 1967 Longines developed a watch that was more accurate than a chronometer named the Longines Ultra-Chron and just a year after that released the Longines Ultra-Chron with a somewhat sportier aesthetic. It featured a striking red coloured minute hand and a 200-meter water resistance to equip divers with the opportunity to explore with this highly accurate watch underwater, using its minute hand as an integral feature for measuring elapsed time.
The new Longines Ultra-Chron watch pays tribute to the brand’s first high-frequency diving watch with a stainless steel case integrated with 300-meter water resistance paired with a legible dial. Its unidirectional rotating bezel in black repeats a vibrant red colour across its 60-minute diving scale to match the red-coated minute hand on the dial. It is here that this new Longines dive watch really stands out. Whereas the bezel on the original model sported a bakelite insert, this bezel features a sapphire cover over a black base. Under the fingertips, the coin-edge bezel is designed to be light and smooth, whilst the back of the case is adorned with an engraving of the Ultra-Chron’s original stylized waveform logo. The 43mm model has a thickness on the wrist of 13.60mm and features a screw-in crown as well as a screw-down caseback. Its scratch-resistant and anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front serves as ample protection over the dial, shielding it from denting, scratching, moisture, heat and debris.
Ticking at 10 beats per second
The straight hour markers set against a black dial in this Longines Ultra-Chron watch stand out with legibility, as do the silver polished hour hand, the red minute hand and the straight, slim second hand. The hour markers and hands have also been treated with Swiss Super-LumiNova® material to stand out in dark conditions. Inside the new dive watch is the Calibre L836 – a self-winding mechanical movement that beats at 36,000 vibrations per hour and produces a 52-hour power reserve. It also features a monocrystalline silicon balance spring.
The new Longines Ultra-Chron watch is sure to appeal to new collectors and vintage watch enthusiasts alike. Its 60’s inspired cushion-shaped case is broad with flowing polished chamfers that create a dramatic finish on the wrist. The upper surface of the lugs is also polished, boasting a brilliant reflective sheen, whilst the traditional crown guards have been abandoned and replaced by a pillbox crown signed with the Longines logo. The stainless steel bracelet ref: L2.836.4.52.9 comes with an additional black NATO-style strap that has been crafted from recycled material. The brown leather strap version of the Ultra-Chron watch ref: L2.836.4.52.8 also comes with the same additional strap and both models come in a special Longines box with a strap changing tool.
Technical specifications of the new Longines Ultra-Chron watch
- Case: Stainless steel – cushion-shaped – 43mm – height: 13.60mm – 300-meter water resistance – anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass front – engraved screw-down caseback – screw-in pillbox crown – coin-edged unidirectional black diving bezel with red highlights
- Dial: Black – hands and hour markers treated with Swiss Super-LumiNova® - red-coloured minute hand – silver polished hour hand
- Movement: Calibre L836 – automatic, self-winding – 36, 000 vibrations per hour – 52-hour power reserve – monocrystalline silicon balance spring
- Strap: Stainless steel bracelet – triple safety folding clasp / brown leather strap – steel pin buckle - both come with an additional black NATO-style strap made from recycled material
- References: Stainless steel: L2.836.4.52.9 / Brown leather L2.836.4.52.8
- Price: Starts from £3,000
