Longines Reworks The HydroConquest 300m Diver; Dennison Keeps Kicking Ass; A Diamond Aventurine Bell & Ross BR-05; Timex Refreshes Waterbury Ace; Breva Adds A Warmer Tone To Their Comeback Watch

Hey friends, welcome back to It’s About Time. A fun fact: the Longines, a 300 meter water resistant diver, we have today is thinner than the Omega Constellation, a dress watch with 30 meters of water resistance. That’s quite a fact.

In this issue

• Longines Reworks The Entire HydroConquest 300m Diver, Available In 39mm And 42mm

• Dennison Keeps Kicking Ass With Their Dual Time Collection, Now With A New Shades Edition

• Bell & Ross Adds Aventurine And Diamonds To The 36mm BR-05

• Timex Refreshes The Waterbury Ace With A More Sporty Approach

• Breva Segreto di Lario Meridian Gold Adds A Warmer Tone To Their Comeback Watch

👂What’s new

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Longines Reworks The Entire HydroConquest 300m Diver, Available In 39mm And 42mm

Longines launched the HydroConquest in 2007 as a straightforward proposition: a modern 300-meter diver with everyday wearability and a price that didn't require a second mortgage. The 2018 refresh added ceramic bezels and a color palette that kept the watch relevant. Then in 2023, the HydroConquest GMT arrived wearing a noticeably different design language — sleeker markers, updated case lines — and it was only a matter of time before that look migrated to the core diver. That time is now.

The new HydroConquest comes in 39mm or 42mm, replacing the previous 39/41/43mm spread. Both share the same 11.7mm thickness, shaving roughly half a millimeter off the outgoing model, and both use brushed stainless steel cases with what Longines describes as a more curved, ergonomic profile. Lug-to-lug runs 48.1mm on the 39mm and 51.2mm on the 42mm. The ceramic bezel borrows its click mechanism from the Ultra-Chron Diver, which should mean a crisper, more satisfying feel than before. Screw-down crown with side guards, screw-down caseback, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, 300 meters of water resistance — everything you'd expect is here. But that 300 meter water resistance at under 12mm thick is just music to my ears.

The dial is where the redesign is most visible and, depending on your attachment to the previous generation, most debatable. Gone are the large applied numerals at 12, 6, and 9 that gave the old HydroConquest its blocky, tool-watch character. In their place: a mix of rectangular, triangular, and round applied markers borrowed directly from the GMT line. The diamond-tipped hour hand and lollipop seconds hand survive the transition, and lume coverage on the indices looks thorough. Six dial configurations are available at launch — black, navy, dark green, black with slate-grey bezel, black with luminous blue bezel, and a sunray-brushed frosted blue — across 12 total references.

Inside is the Calibre L888.5, ETA's 2892-based movement built exclusively for Longines. It runs at 3.5Hz, delivers 72 hours of power reserve, and uses a silicon balance spring. Three references come on the H-link steel bracelet carried over from the GMT, and three introduce a new Milanese steel bracelet with a tapered profile and brushed finish with polished sides. Both bracelets use a double-folding safety clasp with micro-adjustment.

The new Longines HydroConquest 300m is available now, with price the same across sizes: CHF 1,850 on the H-link bracelet, CHF 1,950 on the Milanese. See more on the Longines website.

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Dennison Keeps Kicking Ass With Their Dual Time Collection, Now With A New Shades Edition

Dennison is a young independent brand that has built its identity around restraint — minimal dials, precise proportions, the Dual Time complication as a calling card. Last year in Geneva they took the entire show by storm when they introduced the Dual Time, which is their Emmanuel Gueit-designed ALD watch that comes in an unusual and compact case that managed to incorporate two quartz movements, and display two time zones with two sets of hands. The first Dual Times did some fantastic stuff with stone dials. This new Shades collection tones things down a bit with brushed dials that get great colors and even better typography, while keeping what made the Dual Time so great in the first place.

The case measures 37mm x 35.6mm — it's rectangular, closer to square — and a fantastic 6.1mm thick. Stainless steel, sapphire crystal, 30 meters of water resistance. That last number is purely splash-proof territory, so keep it dry. The bezel of the watch is thicker at the top and bottom than on the sides, which gives the case a bit of an interesting shape.

The new dials get brushed dials. But while previous versions differentiated the two time zones with two different stones, this one does the same with brushing — one side is vertically and the other is horizontally brushed, which is just the coolest concept ever. There are three colorways available — green, blue, and brown, each a slightly different shade than the neighboring color. The watch also gets new indices: one side gets fantastic elongated art-deco-like Arabic numerals, while the other side gets Roman numerals. Incredible.

The movement is a pair of Swiss Ronda Cal. 1032 quartz modules running the dual time display. Quartz is the right call for a dual time at this price and thickness — you get accuracy and thinness without compromise. The watches also come on a new pebble link bracelet in stainless steel, but you can also get them on calf leather.

The new Dennison ALD Dual Time Shade collection is available now, priced at €655 on leather and €720 on steel. See more on the Dennison website.

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Bell & Ross Adds Aventurine And Diamonds To The 36mm BR-05

Bell & Ross introduced the BR-05 in 2019 as their attempt to translate the chunky square cockpit aesthetic of the BR-01 into something you could wear to dinner. I’m not convinced, especially with the 40mm case, that goal was 100% fulfilled, but it was still a nice looking watch, anticipating the integrated bracelet trend that was going to take the industry by storm just a few years after its introduction. What moved the collection closer to a more elegant watch was the 36mm version, introduced last year. This latest version, the Br-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle, adds diamonds and an aventurine dial, targeting a buyer who wants the BR-05's architectural case with considerably more sparkle.

The case is 36mm wide and 8.7mm thick, which is surprisingly thin when you look at the pictures of the watch. It's steel with brushed surfaces and polished bevels, the same finishing language carried through to the integrated bracelet. The square case has rounded corners, a raised bezel with four polished screws, and a screw-down crown flanked by guards. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial is blue aventurine glass. The hour markers are brilliant-cut diamonds, and seven additional diamonds of varying sizes are arranged across the dial to trace the outline of the Aquila constellation. The largest sits between 10 and 11 o'clock, standing in for Altair, the brightest star in the formation.

Inside is the BR-CAL.329, a Sellita SW-300 running at 28,800vph with a 54-hour power reserve. The caseback has the Aquila constellation laser-engraved on it. The bracelet has a folding clasp.

The new Br-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle is available now, doesn’t seem to be limited and is priced at €4,900. See more on the Bell & Ross website.

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Timex Refreshes The Waterbury Ace With A More Sporty Approach

Timex launched the original Waterbury Ace less than a year ago as an unabashedly affordable take on the classic pilot’s watch, like something you might get from Laco or IWC. That means large Arabic numerals, clean layout, oversized crown, bezel-free case. It sold well enough that the brand has already refreshed it. And the new version gets a slightly sportier take.

The case is 41mm wide and made from recycled stainless steel. The thin bezel and oversized crown carry over unchanged. These are both characteristics of pilot’s watches — the bezel gives as much space to display the dial, here under a mineral crystal, and the crown is large to be easier to be operated with gloves on. Water resistance is decent at 100 meters.

The dial is where things diverge from last year's model. The original kept it simple: big hour numerals, minimal minute marks, a triangle at 12. This version adds a second 12 hour scale on the inside of the dial, while the larger numerals denote the minutes in five minute intervals. The base remains black, contrasted by an orange seconds hand that gives it a sporty look. There’s plenty of lume on the hands and the markers.

The movement is quartz, an unspecified calibre. Your choice is a stitched black leather strap or a stainless steel link bracelet.

The new Timex Waterbury Ace is available now, priced at €179 on leather and €209 on the bracelet. See more on the Timex website.

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Breva Segreto di Lario Meridian Gold Adds A Warmer Tone To Their Comeback Watch

Last summer, Breva introduced a titanium version of the Segreto di Lario, their first watch back after a decade-long hiatus. The rose gold launch edition from Watches and Wonders 2025 was followed just a few months later by that titanium model, which came in at CHF 46,000 with copper or slate grey dial options and a noticeably lighter, sportier feel than the gold original. Now, less than a year on, Breva is adding a third variation. The Segreto di Lario Meridian Gold keeps the titanium case and all the mechanics, and changes just one thing, the dial color.

The case is identical. Grade 5 titanium, 41mm wide, 11.1mm thick, cushion-shaped, with an oversized flat crown, sapphire crystals front and back and water resistance rated at 50 metres. It wears light and compact on the wrist, and everything about this watch tells me — this is a sports watch for rich people who like to go yachting. Everything, except for that water resistance. Quite a shame.

The new dial is what Breva calls powder-gold. In practice this means a soft, matte finish sitting somewhere between yellow gold and aged brass — warmer than the copper dial from last year's titanium version, but without a metallic shine. That plate has two exposed screws and doesn’t fill out the entire display. Instead, the lower fifth of the dial is done in steel with Côtes de Genève.The layout is unchanged: a wind rose at 12 that acts as a small seconds with a retrograde indication, thin central hands for hours (in silver) and minutes (in gold), and the double retrograde power reserve display that remains the most distinctive element of this watch. One hand covers the first six days of the reserve, a second tracks the final 24 hours. It's a genuinely useful split that also gives the dial its instrument-panel character.

Inside is the hand-wound calibre C101, developed with Jean-François Mojon on a Chronode base. It runs at 3Hz with a seven-day power reserve and is finished with Côtes de Genève, circular brushing, and polished chamfers. The watch comes on a light brown leather strap.

The Breva Segreto di Lario Meridian Gold is priced at CHF 46,000, in line with the other titanium model. Deliveries are expected from autumn 2026. The Meridian Gold is not a limited edition, but production will be small. See more on the Breva website.

⏲️End links

A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting

• A small boy’s arms flail above a churning vat of plastic pellets in his father’s factory, a near-death plunge that imprints a lifetime of near-misses and marvels. Decades on, video-game visionary Will Wright, architect of SimCity’s sprawl and The Sims’ domestic dreams, chases his boldest creation yet: Proxi, a game to map the slippery labyrinth of memory itself, forging digital selves from shifting recollections. Can this sandbox of the psyche outrun funding woes and finally boot up?

• When Gil Kerley bought an empty building in Albuquerque and started turning it into a used bookstore, the folks who lived nearby were all for it. He wasn’t that outgoing, necessarily, and he didn’t seem too concerned about the folks sleeping outside the store, but that would probably calm down once the store opened, right? Not exactly. For Slate, Alexander Sammon covers the worst kind of neighbor-on-neighbor conflict: the kind where there’s no “good” side, just bad feelings.

• Maddy Crowell’s Wired feature reveals Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids as a force multiplier for the hardships already confronted by immigrants and asylum seekers in the United States. Sam and Ava moved their family to Chicago, where they applied for Temporary Protected Status, found steady employment, and secured special-needs support for their daughter. Six months of ICE surveillance and raids intensified the vulnerable family’s struggle, prompting job loss and delaying crucial medical care for both parents. A crucial story told from the vantage point of those directly affected by recent immigration raids—and still just a drop of the collective terror faced by immigrants in America.

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While this is certainly not light weekend viewing, the good news is that it’s the weekend and I’m sure you can find three hours for the only Middle East explainer you will ever need.

Thanks for reading,
Vuk