Quartz? A quartz watch on the watch review blog? Yes, a high end Swiss quartz watch and it’s absolutely marvellous.
Founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz, Longines have a long history in the watch industry and they are one of the first names that come to mind when you talk about quality Swiss watches, be they mechanical or quartz.
The Longines VHP which stands for Very High Precision, houses the L288.2 calibre movement which was unveiled in 2017 and 2018 exclusively for Longines, and is housed inside this watch. The movement promises +-5 per year, not per day but per year. That is incredible precision for a quartz watch. The battery has a 5 year battery life which is very nice to hear considering most quartz watches feature a 1-2 year battery inside them.
This level of accuracy is guaranteed by the movement’s ability to reset the hands after an impact or exposure to a magnetic field, thanks to the GPD (Gear Position Detection) system. This correction is initially made immediately, then the watch resets itself again at 3 a.m. in the event of disturbance. To guarantee accuracy over time, the calibre also automatically checks the position of the hands every 3 days at 3 a.m.
There are a few variations of this watch, (including the GMT L37284566 that we’ve already reviewed here). The one I have is the l3-719-4-56-6, which is an excellent size for me at 41mm. It has a stainless steel case and a beautiful sunburst black dial that shines differently with each angle you look at it as light hits it. The hands are a beautiful silver to match the bracelet and case and in the centre of them is a generous application of Super-Luminova. The watch features applied Arabic numerals at the 12 and 6 position, a colour matched date window at 3 which is something I like to have in watches that have date windows and applied indices that are also filled with lume around the outside of the dial. It also features a red minute track on the outer most part of the dial, the contrast of red and black is one of my favourite combinations and it works excellently on this watch. The minute hand is wonderfully red tipped and hits the minute markers perfectly except for a 10 second period between 30-40 seconds, unusual but not really an issue for me.
One of the first things I do when I get a watch is test out the lume, so I got the UV torch out of its drawer and charged the dial up for a few seconds. The hands and indices shone bright, are very pleasing to the eye and it lasted a good amount of time. This is not a dive watch so the 50 metres of water resistance and the level of lume is perfect for its designed usage. I’d happily wear this watch in the shower or washing the dishes without fear of any water damage.
One of the most amazing features on this watch is something I didn’t even know about until I started doing some more research on the watch for the review (that certainly gives you an insight into how much of an impulse buyer I am). Pull out the beautifully signed crown and after a few seconds the second hand snaps to the 12 o clock position, and after 1 minute the hour and minute hand also snaps to the 12 position. Push the crown back in and they all snap back to the correct position without a second being lost even if you had the crown pulled out for a few minutes. It’s quite the sight to watch and something that you should try and see if you get the chance.
Another nice feature on the V.H.P is the end of life indicator. This means that when the battery inside is close to dying the seconds hand jumps in 5 second intervals to give you a warning, which gives you good warning to get the battery changed. This should be easy enough to do as the watch features a screw down case back that has the stunning Longines winged logo engraved into the back, which is a beautiful set of wings with an hourglass in the middle.
The most unexceptional thing about the watch is the bracelet, whilst it is extremely comfortable it is just that, unexceptional on an other wise stunning watch. It features a double pusher triple safety folding clasp for extra security, I had absolutely no concerns wearing it on the bracelet. The clasp, however has no micro adjustment which I feel it should feature. As a result I require a half link on the bracelet for it to fit my 7 inch wrists perfectly. Right now with a link off it’s ever so slightly dangly and with that link back on it’s quite tight.
This is no ordinary quartz watch which is why I had no concerns delving into the luxury quartz watch market, and doing this review has made me fall in love with this watch even more than I was before.
Hi Michael. I am a Michael too” I purchased this Longines VHP conquest, the chronometer 3 months ago, I did have another conquest only 1 year old. Very happy, but read the reviews on the VHP with the perpetual calendar, it really is a very smart looking watch, I got the longine alligator strap with diployment unit. It is very accurate to within 2 seconds in the 3 months, very happy with this beautiful smart little beastie, the luminous hands are superb, you could read by the light if you needed to. All in all a great reliable Longines, it’s my 30th year owning this wonderful brand. Thank you Michael weir
Thank you for the comment. I’m glad you’re still enjoying your Longines. I’m still in the very early days of owning mine but I’m enjoying it greatly
Nice review Michael. I own the GMT version, in blue, on rubber, and it is my go-to travel watch because of the easy switch between home and travel time. It has a bundle of other features too. Lastly, it is certainly on track to beat that 5 second/year accuracy. Mine is about a second fast after 7 months.
That’s seriously impressive numbers Adam. Thank you for the comment
Hey Michael, I have owned the white GMT for around 26 months now and it is running 1 second fast. SUPER impressed with this watch, the perpetual calendar is an absolute DREAM (it also takes into account daylight saving in the timezone(s) which you happen to be in, which is amazing). Who gives a toss as to the stated 50mm water resistance, this is a very conservative rating anyway and NOBODY is taking this into a body of water (unless it is dropped in by accident). The accuracy of this timepiece beggars belief, along with a host if innovative tech inside. Not an inexpensive quartz watch by any means, but an absolute STEAL when compared to something like a quartz Tag Aquaracer (which run on a dirt cheap Ronda module, I believe), at a similar price point.
I have the VHP 3 hand version with the white dial. It is a phenomenal watch. To think the movement gains somewhere between 0 and five seconds per year is amazing. Mine has not appeared to gain anything over the past 4 weeks. It wears as a substantial watch on the wrist. The 5 bar water resistance some complain about is irrelevant. It is a sporty dress watch not designed for swimming. This movement has no jewels because none are needed at all. It has motors that move the calendar, second hand and minute hand. The hour hand, I think, is moved by a gear. This gear is not under any kind of load. As a result, no jewels are needed. Feature for feature, including the perpetual calendar, this watch checks all the boxes. Too bad Longines does not make these any more. Better pick up one before they are gone. I am glad I did.