Longines Releases New Spirit Titanium Watch

Lightweight and in a new colour, Longines expands its popular Spirit watch collection with a titanium case and a sleek anthracite dial colour

When Longines launched the Spirit range of pilot’s watches last year, it sparked a lot of attention. The fifth-largest Swiss watch brand had not done what many renowned watch companies had done before. It hadn’t extended a popular line or reworked an old classic. The Spirit watch collection was entirely new. It tipped its hat to aviation pioneers and explorers of the past, the present and the future. It resonated with both traditional and modern pilot watch collectors and, what’s more, it was affordably priced. There are old school design cues to be admired in the Longines Spirit series. The watches are a blend of vintage elements but with better-than-average movements. 

There are colours and sizes to choose from within the Spirit watch collection and now there are materials too, thanks to a new grade 5 titanium case. The new Longines Spirit Titanium watch is equipped with a COSC-certified movement and there’s a choice to be made between a 40mm and 42mm size. The new additions come in a sleek sandblasted anthracite dial colour and interestingly, the dial forgoes the date window at the usual 3 o’clock location. This is a simple three-hander. Will Longines release the time and date version in this dial colour and case material? We have to wait and see. Lastly, the new lightweight watch comes on a choice of a matching titanium bracelet or an anthracite NATO strap.

Longines and aviation

Longines was around when civilian and military aviation instruments were in high demand, so it could respond to this need with a robust timekeeping tool that ticked many of the boxes required by a professional pilot’s watch during this time. Due to this, Longines would become one of the industry’s most coveted wristwatch manufacturers for aviation watches. Its watches have been worn on the wrist of Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes to name just a few. Paying tribute to these pioneers of the sky is the Spirit collection which embodies all the values considered of utmost importance to those navigating the skies: performance, precision and reliability.

Light in structure, light in spirit

The new Longines Spirit Titanium sub-category joins a family of time and date models and chronograph watches in 40mm and 42mm case sizes. The first members of the family were the inaugural blue, black and silver dials followed shortly after by a striking green dialled model that I covered here in more detail. Enhancing a vintage aesthetic more than ever, the new Longines Spirit Titanium watch is clothed in a more lightweight case construction and boasts retro-inspired elements that donate even more charm and character, amplifying a classic “pilot’s watch” look.

The new three-handed time only watches that have arrived into the Spirit watch collection by Longines keep hold of many faithful design elements from historical models. The surface of the lightweight case is executed in a mix of brushed and polished finishes and the sizes are still offered in 40mm and 42mm like the rest of the Spirit watch series. The polished sides of the lugs and bezel create a playful contrast between hard surfaces, three-dimensional textures and shimmering tones. The screwed caseback of the watch is also crafted from titanium and conceals a high performing mechanical calibre behind its strong and sturdy 100-meter water-resistant structure. 

Aside from its obvious lightweight advantages, titanium also brings a different shine to the surface of the case. It differs from the natural patina of stainless steel and has been topped with a strong glass lens crafted from anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. Titanium can offer a uniquely modern and contemporary look to this luxury pilot's watch, despite many elements pointing to a more retro-inspired design aesthetic. There is a choice between a matching lightweight titanium bracelet, with links finished in brushed and polished techniques (which secures with a triple folding clasp and accompanying push buttons) or a woven nylon strap in a sleek anthracite colour. This material band is secured via a titanium buckle, engraved with the Longines logo. Whether you choose the metal bracelet for a more sophisticated look or choose the casual appearance of the nylon NATO-style band, both are integrated with an easy strap-changing system that enables you as the wearer to transform the look of this Longines pilot’s watch as and when you desire. The strap can be changed without the assistance of any skilled watch technician in a jewellers, or indeed, any tools.

A sandblasted anthracite colour covers the surface of the dial in this new Longines Spirit Titanium watch. This display exudes an undeniable retro charm without even having to try. The display is home to a satin-finished black flange, along with sandy-coloured numerals and indexes that have been arranged meticulously and treated with Super-LumiNova to assist with timekeeping in the dark. The Longines lettering and winged hourglass logo at the 12 o’clock location has been balanced by five stars at 6 o’clock, relating to the COSC-certification of the calibre L888.4. This self-winding engine is designed on the ETA A31.L11 but comprises a silicon balance spring and provides a 72-hour power reserve.

Technical specifications of the Longines Spirit Titanium

• Case: 40mm/42mm – lightweight brushed and polished titanium – 100-meter water-resistant – sapphire crystal glass front with AR coating – closed titanium caseback with 6 screws
• Dial: Anthracite – sandblasted – Super-LumiNova Arabic numeral hour markers – black flange with minutes – Super-LumiNova-coated hands – red-tipped central second hand
• Movement: L888.4 Calibre – self-winding – COSC-certified - silicon balance spring – 72-hour power reserve – 25,200 v.p.h – 21 jewels – hours, minutes and seconds functions
• Strap: Titanium brushed and polished bracelet – triple safety folding clasp and push-pieces / anthracite nylon NATO-style strap – titanium buckle – interchangeable strap system
• Price: Starting from £2,170
• Reference: 40mm - L3.810.1.53.2 / 42mm L3.811.1.53.2