Longines has been on a tear in recent years when it comes to heritage reissues, as the legendary Swiss watchmaker has resurrected beloved timepiece after beloved timepiece from its extensive back catalog. Now, Longines is finally bringing back one of its most lauded mid-century models in the form of a brand-new Ultra-Chron watch.
First introduced in 1967, the Ultra-Chron debuted with one of the world’s first high-beat mechanical movements in a wristwatch, operating at 36,000bph. A higher beat rate translates to a smoother seconds hand sweep and, more importantly, greater precision, and most watches of the 1960s operated at around half that rate. Even today, high-beat movements are rare outside of expensive luxury brands like Zenith and Grand Seiko. But now Longines is once again bringing 36,000bpm to the masses.
Based on the original Ultra-Chron Diver from 1968, the new Ultra-Chron is powered by Longines’ new in-house L836.6 caliber that oscillates at a rate of ten times per second. The fancy new engine is housed within a 43mm stainless steel cushion case with a unidirectional bezel featuring a lumed sapphire insert. The black grained dial features rhodium-plated hands and indices that are filled with Super-LumiNova, and the original Ultra-Chron logo appears both on the dial and embossed on the caseback. The box sapphire crystal is AR-coated on both sides, and the watch is water-resistant to 300m and highly resistant to shocks.
Perhaps most impressively, the new Ultra-Chron has been certified as an “ultra chronometer” by Swiss independent testing organization TIMELAB, meaning it exceeds the standards for a regular COSC-certified chronometer. Sold on either a stainless steel bracelet or leather strap, both versions of the Ultra-Chron are available now exclusively in a box set that also includes a nylon NATO strap and strap-changing tool. The box sets are priced at $3,500 for the leather and $3,700 for the bracelet, respectively. The Longines Ultra-Chron will also be available sans box set this September, starting from $3,200.
