Danish poet and novelist Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) once said to travel is to live. Today, it could be a short getaway for us, while others in the past took on the vast unknowns in the name of expeditions and adventures. The latter, including the likes of famed aviator Amelia Earhart and ethnologist-cum-explorer Paul-Emile Victor, was the inspiration for the Longines Spirit collection and its latest exponent, the Longines Spirit Flyback.
For a brand born in 1832, Longines is widely regarded as one of the godfathers of precision timekeeping, with a host of innovations credited to Longines that helped shape contemporary horology. One such example is the flyback chronograph, an advancement from regular chronographs. While regular chronographs needed to be stopped before they could be reset, flyback chronographs allows users to simultaneously reset and restart the chronograph function with the push of a single button. It meant even greater precision as it saved precious seconds while recording several timings in a row.
Longines invented the flyback chronograph in 1925 before a patent was filed and formally registered on 12 June 1935 and 16 June 1936, respectively. It set the groundwork for the legendary calibre 13ZN (Richard Byrd wore a similar watch while becoming the first man to fly over the South Pole) and the contemporary Longines Spirit Flyback.
The new flyback chronograph bears the already distinguishable hallmarks of the sporty Longines Spirit collection. Longines designed the Longines Spirit collection with versatility in mind, as a stainless steel case and 100m water resistance are more than capable of handling dry or wet conditions. A utilitarian guise is elegantly refined as the watch case features meticulous finishes ranging from polished, satin and matte.
Large handsets and Arabic numeral appliques feature gold outlines are paired with a black or blue sunburst dial finish. Five stars are stamped on the dial to convey a tradition of Longines — to signify an improvement in the quality and reliability of the watch’s movements, as five stars are the maximum number that can be achieved.
Herein lies the automatic Longines calibre L791.4 fitted with an anti-magnetic silicon balance spring to guarantee accuracy and increased longevity. The printed FLYBACK and CHRONOMETER texts hint at the flyback chronograph complication and the chronometer testing and certification by COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres). Flipping the watch over reveals all the details of the calibre, including a personalised weight engraved with the globe representing the Longines Spirit collection.
Once you are done with this story, catch up with the rest of our May 2023 issue here.
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