Longines Just Unveiled the ‘Pinnacle of Mechanical Watchmaking Excellence’

By Nick Hall - News

Published: 3 Oct 2025

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Readtime: 6 min

The Lowdown:

Longines Spirit Collection 2025 | Image: Longines

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• Swiss watchmaker Longines has expanded its Spirit collection with the new Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback designs for 2025.
• The 39.5mm Longines Spirit Pilot Flyback is powered by the hand-wound Longines calibre L792.4 movement, which has a 68-hour power reserve and COSC chronometer certification.
• The 39mm Longines Spirit Pilot watch is powered by the Longines calibre L888.4 self-winding mechanical movement, which has a 72-hour power reserve.

After a quieter 2025 than perhaps most were expecting, Swiss watchmaker Longines has dropped a bombshell. The Saint-Imier favourite has unveiled a string of new references across the three-hand Spirit Pilot and the influential Spirit Pilot Flyback collections. Robust, rugged and yet still remarkably sophisticated, the latest releases are exactly what Longines fans have been crying out for; the only question is: How do we get our hands on one?

Staying faithful to the Spirit collection’s much-loved aesthetics, the 2025 models embody a familiar sense of tool-watch functionality. Each of the five new references blends traditional aeronautical features with contemporary timekeeping innovations, whilst maintaining the classic aviation-focused design language that has served the maison for over a century.

While the Spirit collection itself only launched in 2020, the collection’s roots go back much further. In 1919, Longines was named the official supplier for the International Aeronautical Federation, establishing the watchmaker as a leader in aviation timekeeping and exploration. With a list of previous owners that includes Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, and Howard Hughes, it’s hard to argue against the Swiss watchmaker’s incredible contribution to world timing and travel. The Spirit collection, in its many different forms and references, is a reminder that great tool watches are timeless.

Longines Spirit Collection 2025

The 2025 models again celebrate classic aviation watch design; however, this time around, Longines has introduced a series of refined updates. The Spirit Pilot expands the three-hand model, while the Spirit Pilot Flyback brings a new level of sophistication to the chronograph variant. From new movements and dial designs, alongside enhanced ergonomics and clasp options, the new Spirit Pilots are every bit an explorer’s essential.

Longines Spirit Pilot

• Brand: Longines
• Model: Spirit Pilot
• Reference: Ref. L3.809.4.53.6 / Ref. L3.809.4.53.2 / Ref. L3.809.4.53.9
• Diameter: 39mm
• Thickness: 11.5mm
• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Movement: Calibre L888.4 Self-Winding
• Power Reserve: 72 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: USD$2,700 (rubber) / USD$2,850 (leather) / USD$3,100 (bracelet)

The latest three-hand model arrives in a stellar 39mm stainless steel case that Longines explains has copped improved ergonomics and a refined aesthetic. The clean matte black dial, while uncluttered and straightforward in its design, creates a sophisticated sense of contrast and texture. If you ask me, it’s a welcome change.

In previous years, Longines has pushed bright and bold dial designs as a point of differentiation, from the hyper-blue of the HydroConquest to the lush greens of the recent Legend Diver models. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved seeing the continued evolution of the Longines design language, but when it comes to a heritage-inspired collection like the Spirit Pilot, less is often more. Thankfully, it appears Longines agrees.

The 2025 Spirit Pilot collection jettisons the five stars and date indication from the original Spirit three-hand model, significantly cleaning up the dial and reducing visual clutter. What remains is a more conservative design that feels innately timeless. The gold-coloured hands and applied Arabic numerals exquisitely offset the stainless steel case and matte black dial, creating a striking contrast that elevates legibility.

Inside, the new Longines Spirit Pilot watch is powered by the exclusive Longines calibre L888.4 movement, which features a silicon balance spring and enhanced anti-magnetic properties. According to Longines, the new components provide resistance 10 times greater than the ISO 764 standard. The self-winding mechanical movement boasts a solid 72-hour power reserve and also carries official chronometer certification from the COSC. Additionally, it’s also the first model in the three-lands lineup to feature a new screw-down case back, which is a handy addition to an already robust timepiece.

Longines Spirit Flyback

• Brand: Longines
• Model: Spirit Flyback 2025
• Reference: Ref. L3.721.4.53.6 / Ref. L3.721.4.53.2
• Diameter: 39.5mm
• Thickness: 13.4mm
• Case Material: Stainless Steel
• Movement: Calibre L792.4 Hand-wound mechanical
• Power Reserve: 68 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: USD$5,350 (leather) / USD$5,500 (bracelet)

Of course, in Longines’ aviation history, no innovation is as significant as the Flyback movement. First pioneered by the Swiss watchmaker in 1935, the flyback function enables a chronograph to measure consecutive intervals of time quickly and easily. Unlike a traditional chronograph, where the 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 pusher.

Over the years, the flyback function has evolved and adapted, with the 2025 Spirit Pilot Flyback representing Longines’ most advanced iteration. Arriving in a sleek 39.5mm stainless steel case that measures just 13.4mm thick, the latest timepiece features a bidirectional rotating bezel with an improved rotating system and, for the first time, a countdown timer.

Similar to the three-hands model, you’ll find a matte black dial for enhanced contrast and a vintage-inspired box-shaped sapphire crystal. Again, the gold-coloured hands and applied numerals take centre stage, both treated with Super-LumiNova for increased legibility. But as you would expect, the true hidden gem is the movement.

The chronograph is powered by the exclusive hand-wound Longines calibre L792.4, which is visible through the transparent screw-down case back. Like its smaller sibling, it features a silicon balance spring and innovative components for superior magnetic resistance, which work in tandem with the column-wheel chronograph mechanism and flyback function. With 68 hours of power reserve and COSC chronometer certification, this movement is, as Longines explains, ‘the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking excellence’.

Pricing and Availability

For Longines fans, quality is comparable to value, and the latest Spirit collection models don’t disappoint. The Spirit Pilot Flyback is priced from USD$5,350 and comes on either a stainless steel bracelet or an interchangeable brown leather strap, both featuring micro-adjustable folding clasps. The Spirit Pilot three-hands model is priced from USD$2,700 and is fitted on either a stainless steel bracelet featuring a folding clasp or interchangeable straps in either brown leather with a folding clasp or new textile-style green rubber with a pin buckle. All five references are available from Longines boutiques and online from October 2025.