ReviewFlight In Titanium: Make Way For The Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium

Flying is at the core of Longines just as elegance and style is. For those unfamiliar with the heritage of Longines, it is abundantly evident in the ‘winged hourglass’ emblem, meticulously etched onto the watch face of each Longines timepiece. Established in 1832 and headquartered in Saint-Imier in the Jura Mountains, the brand is propelled by an unwavering pioneering spirit, giving rise to stopwatches, chronographs, chronometers, and several elegant watches. Since 1878, when Longines developed their inaugural chronograph, the brand’s timepieces have consistently measured the fifth, 10th, 100th, and even 1 millionth of a second, solidifying their position as the preferred professional timekeepers in the world of sports. Testimonials from pilots, explorers, navigators, and other sportsmen affirm Longines as a brand synonymous with precision and fuelled by innovation. With one foot firmly rooted in its heritage and the other in the modern era, the brand launched the Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium earlier this year.

Delving into its archives to revive the best of the past, the brand introduced their first model featuring a flyback function in 1925, subsequently securing a patent registered on June 16, 1936—an extraordinary world first. As an extension of this remarkable innovation and of the Longines Spirit Flyback Collection, the new timepiece is a bold iteration—in 42 mm—in grade-5 titanium.

Down To The Details Of The Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium

Meant for the modern watch connoisseur, not just a wearer, the Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium boasts robust dimensions, measuring 42mm in diameter and 17mm in thickness. Despite this thickness, what sets this timepiece apart is its grade-5 titanium case, an alloy that includes aluminium and vanadium. It is this new-age lightweight material that makes it not just a sophisticated choice, but also a wearable option without breaking your arm. Hypoallergenic, antimagnetic, corrosion-resistant, and boasting exceptional durability—up to five times harder than that of stainless steel—the Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium is crafted from the perfect material for a tool watch.

The impressive watchmakers, who are known for chronographs, belt out this line in two options: titanium bracelet or NATO-style strap. Longines display their avant-garde mind-set by stepping into titanium, one of the more edgy metals used by watch brands today, and a sleek, athletic design. beautifully juxtaposed by the black ceramic bezel and a captivating sunray anthracite dial. Keeping up with its aesthetically-forward designs, the said juxtaposition—of the matt sunray dial against the glossy ceramic bezel insert—is what makes the Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium a striking timepiece. The design tells a new story with a bidirectional-rotating bezel with a black ceramic insert adorned with luminescent markers. The anthracite dial, complemented by a small seconds sub-dial at nine o’clock and a 30-minute counter at three o’clock, offers the perfect canvas for the gilt hands and numerals. These elements are coated with Super-LumiNova and ensure optimal legibility in various conditions, be it in the air or on the ground.

Adding just the right dash of colour, the new Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium also features bright red highlights for the signature ‘Flyback’ text on its dial, and for the tip of its centrally-mounted chronograph seconds hand.

The Complication Of The Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium

The creators of the world’s first two-pusher flyback chronograph in 1925 mark a new chapter in the long history of Longines pilot’s watches with this 2023 release. A veritable tool watch, Longines produced the first model equipped with a flyback function in 1925, then filed a patent that was registered on June 16, 1936—a world first. Created for pilots, the flyback complication enables a chronograph to measure consecutive intervals in quick succession. Unlike in a traditional chronograph, whose seconds hand has to be stopped, reset and restarted, the flyback function enables the hand to return instantly to zero and start measuring time again with a single press of the push-button. This function proves particularly useful in situations where precision and speed are essential.

The latest rendition of the Longines Spirit Flyback takes the popular design of the inaugural model and is powered by the exclusive Longines column-wheel calibre L791.4 automatic flyback chronograph movement. This is a COSC-certified chronometer calibre, which is resistant to magnetic fields and equipped with a silicon balance spring. Silicon is not only lightweight and corrosion-resistant, but also sensitive to normal temperature fluctuations and magnetic fields which boosts the watch’s precision and longevity and allow Longines to guarantee these models for five years. An impressive watch face and an equally impressive transparent caseback that offers a captivating view of inner mechanisms—with its oscillating weight adorned with a globe, which is the emblem of the Longines Spirit collection—is what could make Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium a collectors’ piece.

The new Spirit Flyback Titanium also features bright red highlights for the signature ‘Flyback’ text on its dial, and for the tip of its centrally-mounted chronograph seconds hand

An impressive transparent caseback that offers a captivating view of inner mechanisms—with its oscillating weight adorned with a globe, which is the emblem of the Longines Spirit collection

With a power reserve of 68 hours, the Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium is also water-resistant to 100m, making it suitable for both everyday wear and diving adventures of your choice. Reviving this horological complication that is particularly advantageous in scenarios where precision and speed are paramount, such as in aviation, with a modern titanium twist in 2023 is what pioneers do best.