PRE-BASEL: The Longines Conquest 1/100 Horse Racing

First Impressions:

The latest addition to Longines’ sporty Conquest line is capable of split-second accuracy, thanks to its clever new quartz movement.

There aren’t too many places where seconds, let alone hundredths of a second matter. The racetrack is one of those places. So naturally there is a relationship between the makers of precision timing instruments and those who ride or run very fast.

Longines has been providing accurate timekeeping for the world of sports, particularly equestrian sports since 1878, when the brand developed their first chronograph movement – the 20H. But what was cutting edge in the nineteenth century won’t cut it today. But that’s ok, Longines have moved with the times.

The Conquest 1/100 Horse Racing is the latest example of their precision timekeeping ability. This 41mm steel number is a classic Longines design, mixing masculinity and elegance. The result is a watch that wouldn’t look out of place in the stables or the marquee.

But the real story is the movement underneath that silver dial. The clue is the red chronograph hand and the red 1/100 on the dial. This chronograph can measure accuracy up to a hundredth of a second (read at the outer chapter ring). Which, as Longines helpfully inform us can translate to a distance of 20cm at a thoroughbred racehorse’s top speed of 70 km/h. Also known as the distance between winning and losing.

This split-second accuracy is thanks to the new L440 quartz movement, which Longines developed in partnership with movement maker ETA. The L440 isn’t your average quartz movement. To allow an analogue watch to accurately record, reset and display such small fractions of time, the L440 has an inbuilt microprocessor and flash memory.
If you’re in the market for a super accurate timekeeper, but want something with more style than your average G-shock, this Longines is worth considering.

Longines Conquest 1/100 Horse Racing Australian pricing

The Conquest 1/100 has an Australian retail of $1720 AUD.