As in the automotive world, speed in watchmaking has always been synonymous with progress, something to aspire to and achieve at all costs. Measuring time faster means measuring it more accurately, a concept that has fascinated watchmakers since the early decades of the twentieth century, when the quest for performance led the most ambitious manufacturers to push their movements beyond the limits of mechanics.
Longines was among the first to understand that correlation between speed and precision. As early as 1910, the Saint-Imier-based company developed one of the first high-frequency timing devices capable of measuring tenths of a second-a no small technical achievement that laid the groundwork for everything that would come after, subsequently making Longines a benchmark in the field of precision.
Ultra-Chron: the fastest
The 1960s was a golden age for mechanical innovation. Switzerland was experiencing a golden age of fierce competition. On the one hand Girard-Perregaux was presenting its 36,000 vibrations per hour movements, while Zenith was working on the future El Primero, the fastest automatic chronograph launched in 1969.
In this context, in 1967 Longines launched theUltra-Chron, equipped with Caliber 431, an automatic movement capable of oscillating at 5 Hz or 36,000 a/h, the fastest in its class. This high frequency allowed the watch to minimize running errors and maintain an accuracy of ±1 second per day, an extraordinary achievement at the time. This came at a price, however.
Clearly at higher speeds there is greater friction, and a balance wheel that oscillated so rapidly required specific lubricants andextremely fine tuning of wheels and pinions. Longines solved the challenge by introducing more stable oils and innovative materials to prolong the life of the movement.
Ultra-Chron Diver
The Ultra-Chron line was never a single model, but a true collection that ranged from dress watches, sports watches, and elegant diver’s watches. Between 1967 and 1969 Longines developed several references, united by the “Ultra-Chron” logo on the dial and a typically 1960s aesthetic, with slim cases.
In 1968 came the Diver, followed the next year by the iconic Ultra-Chron Diver, recognizable by its “cushion” case, rotating bezel and superior water resistance. Powered clearly by the high-frequency 5 Hz 43x calibres, now among the most sought-after by collectors.
With the advent of the 1970s, the entire watch industry underwent the quartz revolution. Longines , too, suffered heavily from this blow and had to adapt by gradually replacing high-frequency mechanical movements with electronic ones, thus containing costs and increasing precision, while maintaining the Ultra-Chron spirit as a symbol of chronometric excellence.
The return of a myth
In 2022, the winged hourglass house revived the Ultra-Chron myth, this time in a 43 mm Diver version, water-resistant to 300 m and animated by the caliber L836.6, a high-frequency (5 Hz) automatic movement equipped with a silicon balance spring.
The watch, which was created as a tribute to the 1968 model, boasts “Ultra-Chronometer” certification issued by TimeLab in Geneva, obtained after 15 days of individual tests that guarantee performance superior to that of ordinary COSC chronometers.
The reissue features details such as a red minute hand and a red minute scale.
In 2025, Longines’ first Ultra-Chron 1967 model returns with a modern twist. Thinner and true to the original lines, the new reference houses the L836.5 caliber, still 5 Hz and Ultra-Chronometre certified by the TimeLab in Geneva, conforming to ISO 3159.
Conclusions
Through this excursus, the historical importance of the Ultra-Chron, a watch that marked an era and paved the way for one of watchmaking’s greatest challenges: going faster to be more accurate, emerges clearly.
Even today, that drive toward performance continues to inspire the Maisons, just think of the recent Breguet 7225 with a 10 Hz balance. The appeal of the Ultra-Chron is unquestionable, continuing to this day so many years after its inception, generating a certain fascination especially for lovers of the vintage world.
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