THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY

Blending innovative materials with high-frequency precision, Longines's new Ultra Chron Carbon honours its heritage while charting a bold new course.

- ANANDHI GOPINATH

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT a diving watch that feels inherently dependable. It's not just their rugged construction or luminous dials; it's the idea that they're purpose-built, designed to function under the most demanding conditions. The Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon taps into that spirit. A modern reinterpretation of a 1968 icon, it carries the weight of history—but weighs almost nothing. At under 80 grams, it's one of the lightest mechanical watches I am likely to put on my wrist this year, yet it appears robust enough to survive anything. That, for me, is where its magic lies. This isn't merely a nostalgia piece. With its carbon fibre case, high-frequency movement, and innovative materials, the Ultra-Chron Carbon is a testament to Longines's forward-thinking approach. It's a watch that appeals to both my love for diving watches and my appreciation for clever engineering.

Longines's history with high-frequency watches stretches back over a century. In 1910, the brand patented its first stopwatch capable of measuring 1/10th of a second, a revolutionary achievement at the time. By 1959, they developed a high-frequency movement for wristwatches, engineered specifically for observatory competitions, where precision was paramount.