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Longines Ultra-Chron Classic 40mm Mens Watch Silver Alligator
Ref. L29374722
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Stepping up in the same colour and case shape
The Ultra-Chron name stretches back to 1959, when Longines built the first high-beat wristwatch movement, and forward to 1968, when they fitted that thinking into a diver. This Classic takes the lineage in a third direction: a dress watch, not a dive watch, carrying the same technical conviction. The L836 at its centre runs at 36,000 vibrations per hour, a frequency that tightens accuracy and produces the fluid seconds sweep more commonly associated with higher-end Swiss manufacture. Its silicon balance-spring sits largely outside the reach of ordinary magnetic fields and keeps its rate stable through temperature shifts — practical engineering, not decorative specification. At 10.95mm thick and 40mm across, the case is genuinely slim for what is inside it, and 68 grams on the wrist means most wearers will forget they have it on. The sunray silver dial reads cleanly, applied indices giving it just enough relief to avoid flatness, and the double-sided anti-reflective treatment on the sapphire does real work under direct light rather than simply moving the glare around.
- Reference
- L29374722
- Brand
- Longines
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 10.95mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- L836
- Functions
- Date
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Learn more about Longines
Auguste Agassiz began trading watches in Saint-Imier in 1832, but the modern company dates from 1860, when his nephew Ernest Francillon built a factory in the meadows beside the Suze — the longines of the local dialect — and consolidated the scattered outworkers of the region under one roof.
Longines registered its winged hourglass in 1889. It is the oldest watch trademark still in continuous use.
The company's identity was built on precision and on timing things in public. It supplied chronographs for the first modern Olympic events it timed in 1896, timed the 1912 Federal Gymnastics Festival with a broken-wire mechanism accurate to a hundredth of a second, and developed the photo-finish camera and the quartz timing devices used across twentieth-century athletics.
Its aviation associations are equally deep. Longines instruments were carried by Charles Lindbergh across the Atlantic in 1927, and the Hour Angle watch, designed to Lindbergh's own specification to simplify longitude calculation, remains in the catalogue. Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes both navigated by Longines.
The house was among the most decorated at nineteenth-century observatory trials, holding numerous precision records. Since joining the Swatch Group in 1983 it has occupied the accessible-heritage position: exclusive ETA-based movements, archive-driven designs through the Heritage line, and volume that makes it one of the group's most important brands.
- 1860
- Ernest Francillon builds the factory at Les Longines.
- 1889
- The winged hourglass is registered — the oldest watch trademark in use.
- 1912
- Broken-wire timing achieves hundredth-second accuracy.
- 1927
- Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic with Longines instruments.
- 1983
- Becomes part of the Swatch Group.
Also in 5 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,425), Automatic Watches (1,203), Leather Strap Watches (767), Silver Dial Watches (512) and Dress Watches (349).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | L29374722 |  2795-BKC-20000 |  35123TA02.BMT12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,150 | £3,195 | £3,290 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | — | 100m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 38 hours | 56 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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