Comparison

LONGINES COLUMN vs Hands

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

LONGINES COLUMN

Explore the intricate workings of a mechanical chronograph movement. This app allows virtual manipulation of a column-wheel chronograph, demonstrating its start, stop, and reset functions. Compare it with an alternative cam chronograph system.

Highlights
  • Demonstrates L688 column-wheel chronograph movement
  • Virtual manipulation of chronograph functions
  • Shows start, stop, and reset actions
  • Compares with cam chronograph system (L678)
  • Highlights blue steel column-wheel
Read full description

Longines has been based in Saint-Imier in Switzerland since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. With many years of experience as a timekeeper for world championships in sport or as a partner of international sports federations, Longines – famous for the elegance of its timepieces – is a member of the Swatch Group Ltd, the world’s leading manufacturer of horological products. The brand known by its winged hourglass logo now has outlets in over 140 countries. Longines started producing timing equipment in 1878. Using the expertise it gradually acquired, Longines established a network of links with the world of sport which enabled it to offer its skilled services to various prestigious disciplines during the 20th century. In the early 2000s, Longines mandated ETA (one of the world's largest manufacturers of watches and movements and also a member of the Swatch Group Ltd) to develop a brand-new exclusive self-winding movement with a column-wheel for a wrist chronograph. The reference number given to the new calibre was L688. It constitutes the present-day embodiment of the far-reaching experience in mechanical timekeeping that is the heritage of the brand. Fitted with 27 jewels, the L688 movement is a self-winding calibre with a diameter of 30 mm and a height of 7.90 mm. The purpose of its column-wheel is to control the chronograph functions (start, stop, return to zero). This system, and in particular the column-wheel that was designed by ETA’s engineers, is exceptionally user-friendly for a mechanical chronograph, requiring only the finest touch to start and stop the mechanism and to reset the hands at zero. The blue steel column-wheel is surrounded by the beauty of a movement which is in fact an updated version of a traditional technical system. In addition to its refined design, the L688 calibre reveals a construction designed to meet the demands of timing. Longines has so far created several timepieces as a tribute to this high-tech movement. The purpose of the Longines Column-Wheel application is to demonstrate the column-wheel chronograph movement L688 fitted with a blue steel column. The application allows a virtual manipulation and the presentation of the functions of the chronograph and its column-wheel (start, stop and reset). Moreover, the application also offers a comparison with the cam chronograph system L678.

About

Hands

Create and customize analog clock and weather widgets for your home screen. Design every element from hand styles to colors, or explore community creations. Share your unique widget designs with friends.

Highlights
  • Design custom analog clocks
  • Create weather widgets
  • Choose hand styles, numerals, and colors
  • Browse and share community widgets
  • Add widgets to Home Screen
  • Weather forecasts with barometer inspiration
Features
Read full description

Hands is an analog widget app. Design your own clock and weather widgets, then put them on your Home Screen. CLOCKS Choose the hand style, the numerals and where they sit, size, weight, colors, the second hand and more. Start from scratch, or start from a design in the Catalog. WEATHER Inspired by old-school barometers, weather widgets have two hands. The short, wide hand shows the weather right now. The long needle points to the worst weather coming in the next few hours. Show weather symbols or your own words for each condition, for where you are or any place you choose. Style them just like your clocks. SHARE Browse Community Widgets to see designs other people have made, and share your own: send a widget to a friend and they can add it straight to their library. Small and large widgets. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

LONGINES COLUMN4 screens
Hands4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: LONGINES COLUMN at 100% against Hands's 50%. LONGINES COLUMN also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and rating (3.0 vs 2.7). Hands's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hands sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. LONGINES COLUMN asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LONGINES COLUMN holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of LONGINES COLUMN's written reviews are positive against 50% of Hands's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
LONGINES COLUMN versus Hands: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLONGINES COLUMNHands
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (1 ratings) — better2.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS6.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size252 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCompagnie des Montres Longines Francillon SAChristian James Sheehan Lowry

Customer experience

LONGINES COLUMN

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Hands

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

LONGINES COLUMN

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Hands

Subscriptions2
  • Hands Pro Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Hands Pro Yearly7 Days trial$11.991 Year
One-time1
  • Hands Pro Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is LONGINES COLUMN free?
LONGINES COLUMN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hands free?
Hands is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, LONGINES COLUMN or Hands?
LONGINES COLUMN is rated higher. LONGINES COLUMN averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Hands averages 2.7 from 3 ratings.
Do LONGINES COLUMN or Hands have ads?
Neither LONGINES COLUMN nor Hands shows ads.

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