Worn & Wound
Longines Updates the HydroConquest GMT with a New 43mm Option
Last year, Longines had something of an unexpected hit with their HydroConquest GMT. The dive watch with the “flyer” L844.5 caliber was much discussed in enthusiast circles, and I have my own personal theory as to why. For years, Longines has excelled at being expert curators of their own back catalog, releasing a seemingly never ending string of well considered vintage reissues important releases from their past. They never stopped making watches in a more contemporary style, but they kind of dropped out of focus in recent years. The HydroConquest overhaul, then, was somewhat unexpected, and really stood out in their collection. And it was just weird enough to set itself apart from a market full of divers that kind of all look alike. Now, less than a year after the new HydroConquest saw the light of day, Longines has added new additions to the collection, which surprise in another way altogether. Announced last week, Longines now makes the HydroConquest GMT in a new larger size, with a case coming in at 43mm. When I saw the press release for this watch, I did a double take. Was there a typo here somewhere? The trend in recent years, Rolex notwithstanding, has been for brands to downsize their sport models to a more universally accepted “medium” size. Think anywhere between 38-40mm. With last year’s HydroConquest GMT coming in at 41mm, I’d have bet the lion’s share of my watch fund that the next iteration of this watch would be somewhere in that sub 40mm ra...
