Longines starts the new year with a release of the Ultra-Chron Carbon. The new model incorporates the best of the iconic 1968 model with the aesthetics of a modern timepiece.
Press release with commentary in italics.
New: Longines Ultra-Chron Carbon
Commentary
Drawing inspiration from the iconic 1968 Ultra-Chron, the 2025 Carbon model has been reimagined with a carbon fiber case, making it the first of its kind for Longines. The 43mm cushion-shaped case is crafted from unidirectional carbon fiber and epoxy resin, resulting in a unique pattern for each watch. This material choice not only gives the watch a stealthy aesthetic but also makes it incredibly lightweight, weighing just 80 grams including the strap.
The Ultra-Chron Carbon features a fixed titanium bezel with a matte black aluminum insert and silver numerals, adding to its modern look. The titanium crown and caseback are screwed-down, ensuring water resistance up to 300 meters. The watch is powered by the Longines L.836.6 automatic caliber, a high-frequency movement with a 5Hz frequency, an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring, and a 52-hour power reserve. This movement is certified as a chronometer by TimeLab, meeting ISO 3159 standards.
We especially like that the high beat movement is very accurate, and rigorously tested. Combined with the lightness and water resistance of the case, the Ultra-Chron Carbon is an excellent daily beater. The absence of a date window maintains a perfectly symmetrical dial, and the use of blue-emitting Super-LumiNova ensures excellent legibility in low light conditions. The watch is available exclusively on a black technical fabric strap with a titanium buckle.
Priced at $4,900, the Ultra-Chron Carbon competes with other high-end dive watches like the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic and the Doxa Sub 300 Carbon. Its combination of historical significance, modern materials, and advanced movement makes it a compelling choice for watch enthusiasts.
Press Release
The ULTRA-CHRON collection adopts carbon: an innovative material that is both strong and light, and now being used for the first time in a Longines watch case. Powered by a Longines’ exclusive high-frequency movement, beating at 36 000 vibrations per hour, this model draws inspiration from an iconic 1968 watch with a distinctive cushion-shaped case. Combining innovation and precision, each ULTRA-CHRON CARBON offers a unique design and is fully chronometer-certified by TIMELAB.
Launched in 1968, the Ultra-Chron Diver made history as the first diver’s watch to feature a high-frequency movement. At the time, Longines had already established itself as an expert in this technology, having patented it in 1910 for use in sports timekeeping. In 2022, the brand unveiled a new generation Ultra-Chron, which paid tribute to the 1968 model while incorporating the latest technological innovations.
Today, Longines continues to innovate by introducing a new Ultra-Chron model with a carbon case, a first for the brand. This material, known for being both ultra-resistant and lightweight, is widely used in cutting-edge industries such as aeronautics, a field with which Longines has been closely associated for over a century.
The 43 mm-diameter case is crafted from strips of unidirectional carbon fibre and epoxy resin, which are then placed into a mould and heated to a high temperature, compressed under high pressure, and finally cold-cut. It then takes on the iconic cushion shape of the Ultra-Chron case.
This unique manufacturing process creates random patterns in the layout of the fibres, making each case visually unique and giving it a strong identity. Thanks to carbon’s lightweight properties, this new model weighs less than 80 grams, including both the watch and strap. It is water-resistant up to 30 bars (300 metres).
The titanium bezel is fixed and features an aluminium insert engraved with a scale numbered in increments of 10. The case back and screw-down crown are also in titanium. Beneath a sapphire crystal with multi-layer anti-reflective treatment, the sand-blasted anthracite dial features a chapter ring marked by twelve applied silver indexes. These, along with the grey PVD hour and minute hands, are coated with a Super-LumiNova® blue luminescence treatment.
Like the other models in the collection, the Ultra-Chron Carbon is powered by the exclusive Longines high-frequency calibre L.836.6. This movement oscillates at 5 Hertz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour. Compared with conventional mechanical movements, it offers greater stability in response to shocks and changes in position caused by wearing the watch. Equipped with a silicon balance-spring and innovative components, this calibre is also up to ten times more resistant to magnetic fields than the ISO 764 standard.
This watch is also fully certified as a chronometer by TIMELAB, an accredited independent watch testing laboratory in Geneva. In keeping with the ISO 3159 standard, the qualification process subjects the finished product to a 15-day testing period during which the entire watch is put through a series of functional tests in various positions, repeated at three different temperatures, 8°C, 23°C and 38°C, to confirm its accuracy.
The Ultra-Chron Carbon is fitted with a black technical fabric strap featuring a titanium buckle. Embracing dark tones, the watch is presented in a bespoke black box.
