Introducing: The New Longines Spirit Pilot And Spirit Pilot Flyback
Longines and aviation have been intertwined for more than a century. The brand supplied navigation and timekeeping instruments for some of the earliest pioneers of flight, from transatlantic adventurers to polar explorers. That history continues to shape the Spirit collection, launched in 2020 as a modern take on classic pilot’s watches. Now, five years on, Longines revisits the formula with a pair of new releases designed to strengthen the line’s identity. Meet the new Longines Spirit Pilot models.
The Longines Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback take the familiar Spirit recipe and push it a bit further. One strips back the design to its simplest form, while the other brings back that key aviation complication, the flyback chronograph. Oh, and Longines also took some of your feedback to heart, my dear Fratelli!
The Longines Spirit Pilot three-hander
Housed in a 39mm stainless steel case with an 11.5mm thickness, the Longines Spirit Pilot aims to hit a sweet spot between the earlier models’ 37, 40, and 42mm sizes. The matte black dial has been simplified. Gone are the date window and the five stars, leaving a clean layout with gold-plated Arabic numerals and hands filled with Super-LumiNova.
A domed sapphire crystal, 100m water resistance, and a screw-in case back round out the package. Strap options include a steel bracelet, brown leather, or a textured green rubber strap. The leather and steel options come with micro-adjustable clasps. Both straps offer quick-release mechanisms, but the bracelet does not.
Inside ticks the Longines L888.4, a proprietary COSC-certified automatic movement with a 72-hour power reserve. With a silicon balance spring and antimagnetic performance 10 times better than the ISO 764 standard, it offers the prerequisite aviation features.
The Longines Spirit Pilot Flyback
The Spirit Pilot Flyback celebrates the flyback mechanism Longines itself pioneered in the 1930s. The watch’s 39.5mm stainless steel case has a 13.4mm profile, including the box-shaped sapphire crystal and bidirectional ceramic bezel with a countdown scale. The matte black dial with gold-tone numerals and luminous hands looks familiar from earlier Spirit chronographs. Longines offers this model on a steel bracelet or brown leather strap, each with micro-adjustment.
Inside, we find the hand-wound L792.4 movement visible through the case back’s sapphire display. This column-wheel chronograph caliber combines a flyback function with a 68-hour power reserve and COSC chronometer certification. With its silicon balance spring and enhanced antimagnetic properties, it should serve pilots well.
The original Longines Spirit Flyback has a 42mm diameter and a 17mm thickness. This new 39.5mm by 13.4mm package will surely please enthusiasts. The removal of the five stars, similarly, falls in line with feedback from the enthusiast community.
Initial impressions
I have yet to experience either of these new Longines Spirit Pilot models in real life, but I like what I see. The 37mm and 40mm time-only models always spoke to me with their clean yet characterful design and class-leading case finishing. Seeing a new 39mm version pop up leaves me convinced I will love its fit and wrist presence.
I also appreciate Longines for taking in the feedback from the enthusiast community. We lamented the perhaps over-dramatic row of stars plenty of times. I even went so far as to digitally remove them as an experiment in an article celebrating empty dials. Now, I don’t want to take credit here, but…hey, why not?! Similarly, a no-date version always sits well with the community, including me.
I am equally enthusiastic about the new chronograph. The subtle cleanup of the design and the drastically reduced dimensions make this a very appealing package now. One subtle detail I particularly appreciate is the smooth bezel insert, with the square indentations of the original omitted. At the same time, it is also good to see the original versions remain in the collection. So, even if you prefer larger sizes and busier dials (or a date on your three-hander), Longines has you covered.
Closing thoughts
With these two releases, Longines has strengthened the Spirit collection significantly. These two models feel like enthusiasts’ editions of an already very capable pair of watches. Sometimes, simpler really is better!
What do you think of the new Longines Spirit Pilot watches? Let us know in the comments section below!
