Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon Debuts Their First Ever Carbon Case

Considering that Longines have arguably one of the most extensive and comprehensive ranges of watches in the industry, covering everything from dainty ladies watches to suave dress watches and robust tool watches in a wide range of materials like steel, titanium and gold, it’s odd that they’ve never produced a watch in carbon. Until now. As a follow up to 2022’s Longines Ultra-Chron Diver they’ve now launched the Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon, their first ever carbon case wristwatch.

The Ultra-Chron Carbon is specifically made from carbon composite material, a term used to describe the process where layers of carbon fibre are stacked along with epoxy resin prior to being heated and compressed under high pressure. It’s also known as forged carbon or carbon TPT depending on the terminology and specific techniques/materials various brands like to use. It’s identifiable by the irregular striations in the side of the case, which vary from watch to watch, whereas raw carbon fibre has a regular pattern.

Structurally, the case here measures 43mm in diameter in a cushion shape that almost gives the watch a tonneau silhouette. While that is on the larger side, it’s by no means extreme for a dive watch and it does have a 300m water resistance rating. Reflecting on the 2022 model, the size felt big but also natural for the design, so I imagine the same will be the case here. It also displays the unique patterns of the carbon material really well with its arching lines from lug-to-lug.

Since carbon is naturally black, Longines have doubled down on that by presenting the Ultra-Chron Carbon in complete monochrome. The fixed, 60-minute bezel has a black insert, the dial is sandblasted anthracite and it comes on a black fabric strap. There are a few points of lighter grey to be found in the titanium crown, bezel ring and caseback but they still build on the overall aesthetic of the piece.

The choice of a fixed bezel is interesting as it moves away from dive watch tradition and the previous Ultra-Chron, which had a unidirectional rotation. It removes an important piece of dive watch utility in the ability to calculate your immersion time accurately and easily. I wonder if it’s due to how the bezel connects to the new carbon case, which perhaps makes rotation difficult or impossible to achieve.

In comparison, the dial display retains its core dive watch legibility thanks to large baton hour markers and plenty of Super-LumiNova. But that fixed bezel really is significant, it’s now more a sort of adventure watch than a purebred diver. It makes me wonder what it would look like with a GMT function like the fixed bezel Rolex Explorer II.

Beneath the dial is housed the calibre L836.6. An automatic movement with a 52-hour power reserve that operates at a frequency of 5Hz, which is particularly high. In fact, that high frequency is an important part of Ultra-Chron heritage as Longines claim that the Ultra-Chron was the first high frequency diver when it debuted in the 1960s. You can also see this fact commemorated in the logo above 6 o’clock and on the caseback, both showing a high frequency wave. It’s also chronometer certified by TIMELAB, the group behind other well-known watch certifications such as the Poinçon de Genève.

As for price, it’s $4,900 (approx. £3,940). An appropriate increase from its 2022 predecessor at £3,550 on steel bracelet, given the updated carbon case. I really like the confident appearance of this watch. The combination of blacks and dark greys works really well. I’m not fully sold on the fixed bezel but with time, maybe it will grow on me.

More details at Longines.

​Oracle Time 

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