Did Longines Just Release the Ultimate Pilot Watch of 2023?

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Longines' Spirit Flyback is a Total TriumphLongines
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On one hand, calling Longines an undervalued brand is a silly idea. According to a 2020 Morgan Stanley report, it is the fourth largest Swiss watchmaker in the world—behind Rolex, Omega and (only just) Cartier.

On the other, Longines has a fraction of the recognition of those household names, a situation made more perplexing by its genuinely impressive legacy.

Longines was winning awards decades before Rolex and Omega existed. Albert Einstein and Humphrey Bogart both wore Longines watches. When Charles Lindbergh became word famous in 1927 for completing the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris, a journey that had killed plenty of others who’d attempted it before him, it was Longines that timed him. Even Longines’ winged logo has impressive chops—it’s the world’s oldest trademark.

It's the sort of brand equity lesser companies scrabble around to try and fudge together. Longines already has a great story. Maybe it just needs to shout about it more?

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Longines

Perhaps that informed the thinking behind the introduction of its Spirit line in 2020. Longines Spirit watches were a collection of fine-looking everyday sports watches that cherrypicked design elements from previous models, and were intended to honor the early pioneers of aviation: Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Elinor Smith, and Paul-Emile Victor—who all also wore Longines.

The Spirit models came in nice, mid-sized cases, had just enough retro stylings to make them interesting without being pastiche-y, and were chronometer-certified—meaning their accuracy was independently certified by the venerable Swiss body COSC, or the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres.

These were watches that played in the same park as Breitling, Bremont, IWC, and other aviation-centric brands but at a fraction of the cost. The Spirit line may well have represented one of the best—and best-value—pilot watches on the market.

Now the brand has added a flyback chronograph model to the collection, again representing excellent value for money.

longines
Longines

A chronograph adds a stopwatch function to a watch, one typically started with a pusher on the case at 2 o’clock and stopped with one at 4 o’clock. A flyback chronograph, on the other hand, means the stopwatch can be simultaneously stopped, reset and restarted with the single push – no need to first stop and then restart the timer, compromising accuracy. (The most common given use for a flyback function is timing laps in a race. Or, in aviation, as a way for early pilots to time different flight stages, thus helping with navigation.)

It’s a complication that typically adds several thousand dollars to a watch’s price.

The new Longines Spirit Flyback is housed in a 42mm steel case with a bidirectional bezel. It comes with a black or blue sunray dial with an interchangeable steel bracelet, a brown leather strap or a blue fabric strap.

<p><a href="https://www.longines.com/en-us/watch-longines-spirit-l3-821-4-53-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Shop Now;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Shop Now</a></p><p>Spirit Flyback</p><p>$4450.00</p><p>longines.com</p>

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Spirit Flyback

$4450.00

longines.com

The marketing materials underline that Longines has a storied history with the flyback function, highlighting eight moments from 1925 to 1968 where flyback watches proved pivotal. It also ties its functionality to Richard E. Byrd, the pioneering American aviator and one of the most highly decorated officers in the history of the US Navy, who in 1929 took almost 19 hours to become the first person to fly over the South Pole. Later he praised his Longines instruments and chronometer watches for their "most satisfactory service."

It's an unarguably impressive heritage. Then again, none of it is necessary to appreciate what your own eyes can tell you. The Spirit Flyback is a great looking pilot watch with some terrific added functionality, something you’re not going to find anywhere else at this price.

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