The Longines Spirit Flyback watches hands-on

From Admiral Byrd’s expeditions to 2023

Once upon a time, brand ambassadors were unknown; they were primarily heroes turned Stars all of a sudden thanks to their feats on air, land and sea. At the dawn of aviation, during the most challenging flight expeditions, a Longines watch was often the favourite backup tool to professional onboard instrumentation. Richard Byrd, the first man to fly over the South Pole, had a Longines watch wrapped around his wrist while flying.

In 1928, he challenged the elements with a Saint-Imier-manufactured chronograph as his timing companion and kept preferring a Longines, including the 1939 expedition when, according to the brand’s archives, he had a Longines 13ZN watch purposely modified into a Flyback chronograph.

We were lucky enough to catch up with two out of three legendary timepieces during the brand’s Italian press event; pictured here are three highly sought-after Flyback chronographs: the Longines Chronograph Flyback Caliber 13.33Z modified to house the Flyback function, a 1929 model housing the same calibre into a cushion case drawn from reference 3582 and the third but not last one, the two-counters here powered by the 13ZN calibre pictured below.

Here is the forerunner of the contemporary Flyback chronograph, whose patent was filed in 1935 and finally approved in 1936.

Case and bracelet

History in the making, here is an unexpected 2023 new product. Aviation and precise timekeeping join forces again to foster Longines pedigree, and the technical product development is instrumental in helping the brand regain its leadership as a watchmaker whose patents set it as a game changer in the industry.

Not only has the brand thoroughly contributed to many advancements in military and civil aviation, but Longines’ aviators of the pre-WW2 era have also pioneered watchmaking with bravery and ingenuity unknown to most watch brands.

The Spirit collection is all but vintage-inspired; you’d better search for Heritage pieces instead. That’s the present and future of Longines’ storytelling. Setting the technical specifications apart from a while, here is a class-of-its-own timepiece as opposed to any other Longines Spirit model, like Zulu Time and any other current Spirit Chrono. Nonetheless, the Flyback model holds the Spirit DNA while hiding several sources of inspiration like a 1937 cockpit instrument or the respected Admiral, whose five stars on the dial celebrate ultimate precision.

The new Flyback chronograph is quintessentially contemporary in form and function: the case measures 42 mm across and is 17 mm thick, sporting a 49,50 mm lug-to-lug distance. It’s a hefty watch, as the lug-to-lug quote would suggest, yet the stretched-down case was conceived to maximize the wearability of a timepiece whose main attribute is “Bold”: big and imposing.

The watch weighs 178.3 grams in its steel-on-steel livery without offering the micro-adjustment you’d hope for when realizing the bracelet feels too thin to accommodate such a large and thick case. As an option, Longines product managers added a replacement leather strap, dropping the weight down to a more reasonable 127,7 grams, and we won’t be surprised to find out you might save additional grams by opting for the third and last bracelet, a replacement blue fabric strap.

The bracelet and strap both feature a clever micro-adjustment mechanism to adapt the folding buckle to your liking. Such a patent first appeared on the Zulu Time; despite this, we still believe the steel-on-steel layout is the best choice making the watch compelling and enhancing the premium look and feel familiar to most Spirit watches on a bracelet; please take a look at our macro and how the case seamlessly connects to the bracelet.

A new calibre for a new Chronometer

First things first, the Flyback mechanical complication is a Longines exclusive within the Group. The design team has debuted a new calibre, coded as L791.4; it is a self-winding movement based on the L688.4 calibre found on a standard Spirit chronograph, re-engineered to house a Flyback complication and raise the magnetic resistance. It offers good decoration, too.

Here is not a slim calibre, but please don’t get fooled since part of the new timepiece’s thickness is on the glass’ side, too; it is a slightly curved glass with an enhanced glass-to-dial gap and can’t be anything else that a wanted design choice. The outcome is a combination of timekeeping performance and finishes upscaling any recently-reviewed Longines self-winding chronograph: the column wheel is blue and stands out as much as some blue screws, the oscillating mass is new in design and, in classic Longines style, carries a globe flown over by a winged hourglass.

It is, on paper, a rugged and well-performing movement with pleasing finishes and serious technical pedigree to make the new Flyback perform like a certified Chronometer. Once you start it, a single push of the button at four instantly and precisely stops, resets and restarts the central second’s hand.

Final thoughts

The Longines Spirit Flyback places technical specifications in the first place, taking the most of the Spirit’s product philosophy while adding function and form, as exemplified by the bidirectional graduated bezel with a slim ceramic inlay. The 42mm size is the launch proposition and not the mainstream in the mid and long term; we won’t be surprised to discover that smaller Flyback Chronos are in the making at Longines since most prospective buyers increasingly buy smaller watches. A quick look at the case back suggests you can downsize the case while maintaining the current mechanical movement.

The highlights include excellent build quality, offering a lovely alternation between brushed surfaces and mirror-polished edges. The main improvement area sits around the bracelet, whose sturdiness looks downsized when pairing it with such an imposing case construction; regarding comfort, every minor adjustment counts and is often more than welcome.

Also, we couldn’t resist getting the new Spirit Flyback equipped with an integrated rubber strap. Offering a 100-meter water resistance, a screw-down crown and a quick strap-changing device, any Longines-branded rubber would undoubtedly be most enthusiasts’ favorite choice from May to late September.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Editorial Team @Horbiter®