As ever, there are multiple sizes on offer, with 39-mm versions for the vintage-watch crowd and 42-mm versions for, well, everybody else. Each watch features a date window—a controversial feature among enthusiasts, but one that market research has definitively shown is important to your average buyer—plus cleanly flowing case lines and the sort of tactility that makes design nerds smile. Dial colors lean classic, with lacquered blue, black, and green on offer, plus a special frosted blue with a sunray finish available as an e-commerce exclusive. (The latter makes a particularly handsome combo with its dark blue ceramic bezel insert—wowza!) As for bracelets, you can take your pick from a stainless steel H-link with a double-folding safety clasp and micro-adjustment, or a Milanese mesh bracelet—a vintage callback that’s been gaining in popularity since Omega debuted one on the Seamaster 300M back in 2019.

The price for all this? you ask. Surely such a watch should cost thousands! Barely. The new HydroConquest will set you back between $2,200 and $2,400, depending on the configuration. But how is a major Swiss brand able to offer such value?! you might rightly wonder. It’s mostly a matter of scale. Longines cranks out around 1.5 million timepieces per year (about three times Omega’s output), enabling it to sell core models like the HydroConquest for less than many other brands. Thankfully, while many of these other watch brands continue to travel upmarket, Longines has retained its remit of making watches for the people and a reputation for catering to budding enthusiasts and seasoned collectors alike. The HydroConquest has always been a prime example of this philosophy in action and—fortunately for anyone in the market for a reasonably-priced Swiss diver in 2026—it’s never been better than it is right now.

See the full range of Longines’ new collection below.