In-depth: The Longines Conquest V.H.P. series

With the Conquest V.H.P. (Very High Precision), Longines is championing a technology that it helped pioneer. In 1954, the brand developed the Chronocinégines — a quartz-powered clock that set a number of precision records at the Neuchâtel Observatory. In 1969, Longines developed the first mass produced quartz wristwatch. And in 1984, Longines set new heights for time-keeping with the first Conquest V.H.P.

Of course, the advent of inexpensive quartz movements lead to the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, an upheaval that saw hundreds of traditional watchmakers go out of business. And many of the operations that did survive thrived by focusing on more complicated mechanical movements. 
 

Which brings me back to Baselworld. At the time, the two things that attracted me to the Conquest V.H.P. were its technology and sporty look.

When the original Conquest V.H.P was released in 1984, the ultra-accurate quartz watch was considered one of the great goals of watchmaking. But when the technology could be more easily mass produced than mechanical, it also became less innovative and the race to improve accuracy in quartz timekeeping slowed down. Talking about quartz became boring, and only a handful of watchmakers, like Longines, continued to strive for ways to improve quartz precision.
 

For example, the revived Conquest V.H.P is equipped with an ETA movement developed exclusively for Longines. There are quite a few feats of engineering here, including an extremely high degree of precision for an analog watch (plus five seconds a year — a year!). It also uses the GPD (gear position detection) system which gives the timepiece the ability to reset its hands after taking a hard hit or being exposed to magnetic fields. And the thermo-compensated quartz movement (preventing problems caused by fluctuations in temperature) also provides a four-year battery life. When the battery starts to wind down, there’s an end of life indicator to remind you that it’s time for a change.

For a person who wants a watch that they don’t want to fuss about, the three hands and perpetual calendar version make for an ideal everyday timepiece. 
 

Overall, I’ve come to appreciate that the V.H.P. is an extremely wearable watch. There are four versions, all in durable stainless steel: the three-hander in 41 and 43 mm and the chronograph (coming in 2018) with 42 and 44 mm diameter cases. All watches have a tough sapphire crystal and water resistance up to 5 bar (50 meters). The bracelet has a triple safety folding clasp and push-piece opening mechanism. These features make the Conquest V.H.P. an ideal, everyday watch because you just don’t need to worry about it.