Longines Conquest V.H.P.: Malaysia Price and Review

Ditulis oleh: Melissa Kong Dicipta: 01 Mei 2017

Longines dials up on its quartz cachet.

Yeah, we know what the purist in you is thinking: quartz is the enemy. Fans of mechanical watches often view quartz creations with a sense of disdain, not least because they almost wiped out the entire Swiss watch industry when they were first introduced in the 1980s.

While the mechanical watch business has made roaring strides since the ‘quartz revolution’, quartz timepieces are now an indispensable component of the trade. In 2016, export figures for quartz watches accounted for 83.2 million Swiss francs while mechanical watches brought in 122.4 million Swiss francs.

While one may begrudge quartz movements for lacking in mechanical attributes, you can’t really fault their merits. These battery powered movements are super accurate, less susceptible to wear-and-tear, temperature fluctuations, and have the capacity to incorporate endless possibilities of electronically aided features.

And these are precisely the kinds of power that Longines is harnessing with its new Conquest V.H.P. collection. The watches come with impressive lineage. In 1969, Longines unveiled the Ultra-Quartz, one of the first mass-produced quartz wristwatches. In 1984, the brand introduced the Longines Conquest (below) with the 276 VHP (‘very high precision’) quartz calibre, capable of neutralising the effects of temperature fluctuations.

This year, the new Conquest V.H.P. further pushes the envelope with offerings that combine electronically driven precision with smart watch-inspired attributes. Equipped with a movement developed exclusively by ETA, the watch's quartz calibre promises unparalleled precision for an analogue watch (+5/-5 secs per year). The new Conquest V.H.P. is also wired with the world’s first in-built system that re-synchronises the watch hands after exposure to shock or magnetic fields using a gear position detection (GPD) system.

Two versions are available —a three-hand option with calendar (above), and a chronograph model (below). Both are clad in stainless steel and feature an E.O.L indicator that signals the wearer when the battery is running low.