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Longines Conquest 41mm Stainless Steel
Ref. L38304726
The Conquest's 2022 redesign shed the crown guards and chunky shoulders that had defined the line for years, producing something considerably cleaner. The case sits at 10.9mm — notably slim for a 41mm automatic on a bracelet of this weight — and the absence of those guards gives the lugs a leaner outline that reads closer to a dress watch than a sports one, while the 100m rating means it is no fragile thing. The L888 is the movement that earns the most attention here. Built on an ETA base but developed exclusively for Longines, it beats at 25,200vph — a lower frequency than the industry norm, chosen deliberately to extend the power reserve to 72 hours. The silicon balance spring makes it effectively impervious to magnetic interference and considerably more stable over decades than a conventional hairspring. The sunray silver dial, with its applied baton indices and polished hands, is low-contrast against a matching bracelet, but legible rather than flat: angled light picks out the surface texture. The H-link bracelet mixes brushed and polished finishing across its links, and the hidden clasp releases on two push-pieces simultaneously — the kind of mechanism that takes a week to become second nature and feels deliberate thereafter. Link adjustment is by push-pin, straightforward to resize without a watchmaker.
- Reference
- L38304726
- Brand
- Longines
- Collection
- Conquest
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 10.9mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- L888
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 49.1mm
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
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 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,551), Automatic Watches (1,311), Silver Dial Watches (576) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (199).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 72-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- 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 | L38304726 | 2731-ST-20001 | R27056732 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,250 | £1,436 | £1,150 |
| Case size | 41mm | 42mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Ceramic bracelet |
| Power reserve | 72 hours | 38 hours | 80 hours |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
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.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 72 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 49.1mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb at £1,250, pre-owned. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.
Is this available new?
Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as pre-owned only, at £1,250 from Mappin & Webb. A pre-owned watch has been worn, and is normally sold under the retailer’s own warranty rather than the manufacturer’s.
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