# Longines Hydroconquest casual review



## mr00jimbo

This is a very laid back, casual review of my Hydroconquest by Longines!

Hi all! I have a very small collection of watches, as other equally expensive hobbies eat my budget, which is quite limited due to being a student and whatnot. So when I do buy a watch that I like, I have a long time saving up for it to research it to hell and back over the internet, talk to people about it, read reviews, the likes .

I turned twenty-three in October 2009, and I got my Associates Degree the month before. I figure I would treat myself to something nice, and with payday and birthday money, I was able to swing it! What I ended up with, after debating between Hamiltons and Longines, was a 41 millimetre Hydroconquest in blue. Seems black is a lot more popular, but I really like the blue colour, and in the sun it's just gorgeous!

For me, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. So I may have enjoyed the Oris TT1 better. Then again if the Oris was on my wrist I'd be wondering what life would be like with the Longines; aside from buyin' them both, you'll always have a sliver of regret somewhere.

First Impressions:

There's no getting around it - this thing is *heavy*. It's wonderful if you want a heavy watch, but if you want something more lightweight, a titanium Oris would be more up your alley. 
The watch feels very robust, the bezel rotates and clicks beautifully, the clasp is very tough, though a bit difficult to open sometimes. 
I don't have a big wrist, something like seven inches, and though I'd say this is a large watch at 41 millimetres, it does not LOOK big, probably because the bezel takes away from the size of the face. So if you have skinny wrists, this watch will still look half-decent on you, unless your wrists are ridiculously small, then you'll probably be a bit intimidated by this watch's size.

Living with the Longines:

Being an automatic watch, you have to wear it to keep it going - not a hard thing to accomplish when you first get it cause you want to wear it everywhere! It sports an ETA 2824 movement, though not a COSC one. I've read watches take a bit to "break in", but as of now it runs 6 seconds a day fast, or so. I haven't been super accurate in measuring it, but every time I do, it ends up being within +/- one second off of 6.

The lume is a funny thing about this watch. It glows bright but it fades exceptionally fast. Like if you're out in the sun, come inside to a pitch black room, it'll be very bright. Then if you are inside all day, by night you can't see it at all. If you absolutely need good lume, you will likely be disappointed. But for most people, it won't be an issue.

As previously mentioned, it's heavy! A lot of people seem to enjoy a heavy watch, and I am one of them. When my wrist swells, it's not an issue. But when my wrist shrinks, it's really annoying having a Swiss Made dumbbell dangling about! Haha
When I get home, I often slip this watch off and click on my much-smaller, much-lighter Seiko that fits almost snug. When going out during the day it's not an issue, just when it's cold or when you're trying to relax and be lazy.

Prestige:

I went in buying this watch, knowing damn well I wasn't going to impress anybody about it. Something about the fact that nobody would know what a Longines was (besides enthusiasts and those who were old enough to vote for FDR) was appealing. It means I could enjoy it, I could enjoy its somewhat prestige mark, but I wouldn't be flashing a big name around. But a WIS could spot it easily and appreciate it for its history and not its impressive factor. If you're set on buying something nice but impressing your friends is a higher priority, buy a pre-owned Omega, or save up a bit more for one.

Pros & Cons

To sum up, the Pros and Cons of this watch are as follows:

Pros: 
-Beautiful look, especially, in my opinion, blue. Etched caseback is stunning.
-Heavy and robust, build quality is excellent 
-Great parent brand, so ETA parts and parts in general will likely be easy to come by.

Cons:

-It's heft can be annoying at some times. 
-Hand winding this thing is a pain because of the large crown guards.
-Lume is not a strong point of this watch.

You want pics, you say? Are you SURE? Really? Ah well, here you go:


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## Drifter

Thanks for the review. It's a really good looking diver. I can't see the blue version on the Longines site though. Discontinued?


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## Il-Re

lovely watch, i used to have this watch, will always have a soft spot for it


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## lvt

Great review :-!

The watch is great too |>


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## jobryan

Drifter said:


> Thanks for the review. It's a really good looking diver. I can't see the blue version on the Longines site though. Discontinued?


Yes it was discontinued sometime in 2009 i believe.


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## Angelis

How blue is that blue? Is it like a midnight blue or closer to a royal blue with a sunburst pattern? Either way, it's gorgeous...and you have great taste.;-)


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## mr00jimbo

Angelis said:


> How blue is that blue? Is it like a midnight blue or closer to a royal blue with a sunburst pattern? Either way, it's gorgeous...and you have great taste.;-)


Sorry it took a year to respond almost but it's like a darker blue in normal light, but sunburst out on a nice day. 
Thank you for the compliment. The blue is dark enough to be classy but in sunlight really shines.


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## Dianetix

Looks like this old thread was brought back to life, but either way this is a very nice looking watch indeed, thank you for the review!


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## WnS

Great watch, for me it was a toss between the Oris Diver Date and this Longines. I chose the Oris because it had a more unique and dressier look. But the Longines does win in legibility.


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