Longines has announced their first collaboration with Australian Indigenous artist Otis Hope Carey, who has designed a bespoke artwork collection of special edition NATO watch straps.
In a first for the winged hourglass brand, a new collection of four coloured NATO straps has been unveiled as part of a special collaboration with Otis Hope Carey. The inspiration behind the designs are from a body of work Carey created that’s evocative of the Ocean. These designs have been expertly stitched onto the NATO straps which are made from recycled materials.
Otis Hope Carey is a proud Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung Man. He is an artist and professional surfer, born in 1988 in Grafton, Australia. Before Carey turned into an artist, he won the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles twice. His first solo exhibition as an artist was with China Heights Gallery in 2016. Currently, Carey continues to exhibit his work in Sydney and internationally.
Otis Hope Carey explains his designs as “The body of work I have used in this collaboration with Longines is the totem of my Gumbaynggirr people. In our native tongue we call the Ocean Gaagal. The ocean is always there when you need it so I thought it would be fitting to carry the ocean not only with me in my heart and soul but on my wrist with a beautiful watch face.”
Carey and Longines first came together in 2020, and since then the talented artist has been a Friend of the Brand, conveying a courage and pioneering spirit in his designs. Longines CEO, Matthias Breschan says in regards to this recent collaboration with Otis Hope Carey, “Our collaboration with the incredibly talented Otis Hope Carey brings a unique blend of art and craftmanship to Longines. These special edition NATO straps are a testament to our shared passion for creativity and elegance, embodying a spirit of innovation and individuality.”
The four straps created by Carey an Longines are NATO straps with stainless steel pin buckle in colours green, orange, black and blue. The straps have been paired with the new HydroConquest collection of watches, which has been resigned and now comes with the exclusive Longines GMT movement. This new collection of NATO Straps perfectly complements the sunray dials on the HydroConquest timepieces, as they colour match beautifully.
The GMT feature on the new HydroConquest is linked to Longines long and rich history of GMT functions. Longines introduced the GMT concept on a wristwatch back in 1925. This latest timepiece brings together rich heritage along with artistic expression, making it a functional wearable piece of art.
The HydroConquest comes in a 41mm stainless steel case, with a uni-directional rotating ceramic bezel that’s equipped with Super-LumiNova. The ceramic bezel inserts have been colour matched to the dials with the same sunray effect. The dials have a simplistic design, with large hour indices and hands for easy readability. The GMT hand is indicated with a triangle tipped 4th hand. The hands and hour indices have also been filled with Super-LumiNova for low-light visibility.
As mentioned, Longines has given these HydroConquest timepeices beautiful sunray finished dials. The dials match the NATO strap colours nicely, with the exception of the orange NATO strap, for which the dial has a brown shade. This, however, works well for the timepiece as it doesn’t give it the standout look that comes with an orange coloured dial, but instead a more subtle appearance. This is the same case for the green model, where the NATO strap is a lime green, however, the dial is a more subtle darker green colour.
Longines has given these HydroConquest timepieces the self-winding mechanical movement, the calibre L844.5. The movement operates at a frequency of 25,200 VpH and comes with a silicon balance-spring. The movement is able to put out a 3-day (72 hours) power reserve. As the timepiece is a diver’s watch with a water rating of 300m, the case back is screw-down and closed.
Elegance and tradition are the core principles of Longines, with this being reflected through the watches the brand creates. This is no different in this bespoke collaboration with Otis Hope Carey, with tradition being portrayed through the GMT movement, and elegance being displayed through the artist’s bold colours and hand crafted details with the NATO straps.
Blue NATO X Otis Hope Carey
Reference:
L682171012 (21.50mm Blue) / L3.790.4.96
Price: AUD $319.00 (Tang-Type buckle stainless steel)
Orange NATO X Otis Hope Carey
Reference:
L682171019 (21.50mm Orange) / L3.790.4.66
Price: AUD $319.00 (Tang-Type buckle stainless steel)
Green NATO X Otis Hope Carey
Reference:
L682171018 (21.50mm Green) / L3.790.4.06
Price: AUD $319.00 (Tang-Type buckle stainless steel)
Black NATO X Otis Hope Carey
Reference:
L682171034 (21.50mm Black) / L3.790.4.56
Price: AUD $319.00 (Tang-Type buckle stainless steel)
HydroConquest GMT
Reference: L3.790.4.66.6 (Brown Dial), L3.790.4.96.6 (Blue Dial), L3.790.4.56.9 (Black Dial), L3.790.4.06.6 (Green Dial).
Specification:
- Case: 41mm, 12.9mm Thick, 21.00mm Lug distance.
- Case Material: Stainless steel and ceramic bezel.
- Dial: Blue, green, brown and black sunray dials.
- Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, with several layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides.
- Water resistance: 300 meters / 30 ATM.
- Movement: Calibre L844.
- Power reserve: 72 hours
- Bracelet/Strap: Standard Stainless Steel bracelet or choice of Otis Hope Carey bracelets.
