I think they’ve improved the looks, and quality - of course they’ve pushed the prices a little too.
I believe Longines are now something like the third biggest selling watch brand, behind Rolex and Omega, but ahead of Cartier, which really surprised me.
The slower beat was the easiest way to increase the power reserve, and keep servicing times the same. Although all Silicon equipped models are now with a 5 year warranty.
I can’t speak as an owner of the updated Hydroconquest, but I recently bought the updated LLD, which I’m loving more than I expected.