Longines Slithers into the New Year with Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake

• Swiss watchmaker Longines has unveiled the Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake release.
• The Lunar New Year watch is limited to 2,025 pieces worldwide.
• The case back features a design from Chinese artist Wu Jian’an depicting a snake holding a Lingzhi mushroom.
• The Longines Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake is priced at AUD$4,995.

It’s no secret that 2024 was the year of the Conquest, with Swiss watchmaker Longines unveiling a raft of new releases under the much-revered moniker. Over the past 12 months, the St Imier legend has revived the Central Power Reserve, extended the Chronograph collection and celebrated 70 years in trademark style, paying homage to arguably its most important range. But even with the year drawing to a close, Longines still had one great surprise up its sleeve. Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, the brand has unveiled a limited-edition Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake, replete with a dazzling red dial flanked by the collection’s signature gilt hands and indexes.

A tribute to the incoming Chinese Zodiac Year of the Snake, the new timepiece plays on a number of traditional themes and iconographies. In Chinese culture, the snake is said to represent elegance, wisdom and transformation. Known for its intuition and resilience, the snake also symbolises rebirth and
encourages reflection and personal growth, which could well be a reference to the now 70-year-strong Conquest collection itself.

The latest Year of Snake release bears a few striking similarities to 2024’s Year of the Dragon, most notably in the vibrant red dial. That piece, released in January, featured a moon phase complication and was limited to 888 pieces—a nod to the number’s ‘triple fortune’ association. This time around, Longines has instead opted to reference the Gregorian Calendar, limiting the Year of the Snake to 2,025 pieces worldwide, but that’s not the only new addition.

To honour the Zodiac symbol, Longines collaborated with Chinese artist Wu Jian’an to reinterpret the tale of ‘Stealing the Immortal Herb’ from the famous Chinese story ‘The Legend of the White Snake’. In Wu’s design, which is titled ‘Divine Snake Presents Treasure’, East Asian cultural heritage is explored in rich detail and engraved on the case back. Here, you’ll find an emblem that depicts a snake clutching a Lingzhi mushroom, its form spiralling into concentric circles, which Longines explained “evokes ripples that symbolise the passage of time and the continuity of life”.

The unique philosophy that underpins the latest Conquest model is a fitting nod to the longevity of the esteemed collection and importantly, Longines hasn’t sacrificed technical quality to make it a reality. The 40mm stainless steel timepiece still bears many of the trademark elements associated with the heritage range, from the gilt hands and indexes to the vintage-inspired dimensions and silhouette.

Inside, Longines has equipped the limited edition watch with the exclusive in-house L888.5 calibre, which arrives equipped with a silicon balance spring and components designed to ensure a magnetic resistance ten times greater than the ISO 764 reference standard. A mechanical self-winding
movement, the L888.5 calibre boasts a stellar power reserve of up to 72 hours, more than enough to ring in the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Perhaps most important of all, the Longines Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake maintains the brand’s trademark affordability. The limited edition release is priced at AUD$4,995 and comes fitted on a black leather strap. Sleek, sophisticated and impossible to ignore, Longines’ latest tribute to the Chinese Zodiac is a dazzling display of approachable luxury that promises to bring prosperity one wear at a time.

Longines Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake

• Brand: Longines
• Model: Conquest Heritage Year of the Snake
• Reference: Ref. L1.651.4.09.2
• Diameter: 40mm
• Thickness: 10.70mm
• Movement: Calibre L888.5 mechanical self-winding
• Power Reserve: 72 hours
• Water-Resistance: 50 metres
• Price: AUD$4,995