The new lightweight Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium watch
Thursday - 26 October 2023
Before we get stuck into this article, you need to be able to appreciate the new Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium watch for all that it’s worth. To do so, we’ll jump back into the heritage of the watch and I’ll explain how the flyback feature proves to be one of the most convenient tools for pilots.
It may surprise you to learn that Longines was one of the first manufacturers to develop the chronograph with a flyback complication. It released the model in 1925 and featured a patent that was filed by the brand in 1935. The feature allowed pilots to smoothly and quickly time consecutive events without needing to stop and reset the chronograph. Instead, the process could be done by the single push of a button. That’s not the end of Longines’ story in the development of pilot’s watches. The brand has been specialising in this field of expertise since the 1930s and 1940s. As such, Longines has been able to bring some of its finest horological accomplishments into its newer designs, like the Longines Spirit.
Before now, the Spirit watch collection offered models in GMT and chronograph formats, as well as time and date models and no-date iterations. The Flyback Chronograph option, however, proves to be the most functional of all for use inside the cockpit. Now the brand has released an iteration with a titanium case that offers a more lightweight alternative to the former stainless steel models. The watch measures a diameter of 42mm and sits at a height of 17mm on the wrist. Although this depth of case is considered pretty hefty, the lightweight properties of the watch do certainly counteract some of that beefiness. Now we’ve looked at the proportions of the case, we can see what the rest of the case has to offer.
The new Longines Spirit Flyback watch features a black ceramic bidirectional rotating bezel marked out with a 60-minute scale in luminous material. The Super-LumiNova coatings continue into the dial itself, with the Spirit watch’s familiar Arabic numeral hour track in beige and an accompanying set of central hour and minute hands. These features, along with the chronograph sub-counters, are trimmed in a gilt effect that donates layers of added depth and luxury to the timepiece. The chronograph counters, arranged in a bi-compax display, offer a 30-minute and small second function, while the chronograph seconds hand is tipped in red. Of course, the model’s stopwatch times are now made super easy with pump-style pushers located at 2 and 4 o’clock, flanking a screw-down crown that helps the watch uphold its 100-meter water resistance.
Inside the case of the new Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium watch is the Calibre L791.4, which provides a 68-hour power reserve once fully wound. It also performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour and comprises a silicone balance spring, resistant to the damaging effects of magnetic fields. The movement is displayed through a sapphire crystal glass caseback - the same material chosen for its domed front, with anti-glare and scratch-resistant properties that protect both the movement and dial from damage. The sapphire caseback is finished with 6 screws bolted onto the titanium bodywork and some engraved lettering denoting the water-resistant capability of the watch.
If you were wondering about strap options for the new Longines Spirit Flyback watch, you get two choices. One is a black and grey textile NATO strap that secures with matching titanium hardware. The other is a brushed and polished three-link titanium bracelet with a folding clasp that is marked with the brand’s signature logo.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium watch, you can call and speak to a member of the C W Sellors sales team today.
