Many of the worlds greatest watches are simple, perhaps with time only, or time and date only functions. In our modern age many of us are seeking out simplicity as an escape away from the technologically complex, and in the case here – the mechanically complex. A basic watch layout also allows the watchmaker or designer, to concentrate and put emphasis on the most import aspects of the watch, such as the obvious, like its sizing and proportions, other times the less apparent like color pallet matching, case and lug curvature, dial textures, and even hand styles.
Today we have with us a relatively new release from Longines, the Spirit Pilot. This is the three hander variant, ref. L3.809.4.53.2, which comes on a brown leather strap. You may have heard about their Flyback version which we reviewed back in December, this is essentially their simplified time only version of that watch. If you found the Flyback a touch too complex, or maybe a little too thick, perhaps even a little too expensive, then you might just fall in love with this time only version.
Compact Hefty Build
You can discover 90% of a watch within the first 5 minutes of handling it, the other 10% seems to come in the ensuing weeks, months, and years. The very first thing that jumped out to me immediately about the Spirit Pilot, is its impressively stout build quality. For a watch on a leather strap there’s a significant heft and stability to the watch that can be felt when simply resting it in the palm of your hand. There are no loose ends, with the crown being screwed down, and the caseback being a solid piece of steel, you also can’t hear any rattle or vibrations from the movements rotor unless brought right up against your ear.
In combination with the expert level finishing of the case steel, the watch feels like a perfectly complete product, certainly differentiating itself from microbrands and smaller watch houses that are in experimental phases – this watch here has been perfected over time from a brand with a pedigree spanning nearly 200 years.
Dial Design & Wearability
One of the most important features of a pilot’s watch, apart from its functions, is dial legibility. It may be a cliche subject for watch collectors to dissect, as we always seem to gravitate immediately towards the movement or functions of a watch. If a pilot’s watch has a poor dial, it could actually be deemed a hazard for in-flight use – of course this is a rule that was much more prominent in the past when these watches were actually used for navigation. It’s still nice to be able to say you have a seamlessly functioning pilot’s watch as you sip your tea in Harrods or brew some home-made espresso.
Just by looking at press images of this watch, and now handling in-hand, the dial on the Spirit Pilot has been clearly designed with legibility in mind. The lume filled gold applied markers seem to pop off the semi-glossy black dial background, in a way that gives the dial an almost 3D appearance. On vintage watches, this type of dial would be considered a “gilt dial”, usually developed over time with the creation of patina. This is a kind of factory recreation of that style, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it “faux” or artificial like many of us do with “faux” patina markers.
Apart from the very impressive build and finishing of the watch, its next strong point is wearability. The watch is a sublime 39mm sizing, complimented by rather short and gracefully curved lugs that follow the profile of the case. The screw down crown is well sized, maybe not in “big crown” territory but certainly slightly oversized, allowing it to be very easily screwed and unscrewed. When working the crown, it feels tight and reassuring, and the horizontal knurling is excellent as I did not experience any frustrating slippage during use.
The watch is also only 11.5mm thick, which I’m very surprised that Longines was able to accomplish due to their exclusive usage of ETA movements, which usually lean towards the thicker end of the spectrum. Just to give you a comparison, the Flyback version of this watch is 13.4mm thick. the 1.9mm difference may not sound like a lot on paper, but in reality it makes a world of difference when daily wearing this watch – your wrist will thank you. It goes without saying that this watch is using a sapphire crystal, as one could only hope at its price point of $2750.00 USD. The crystal has an anti-reflective coating applied to both sides, which seems be helping in direct sunlight, and also plays well for photography should you enjoy taking photos of your watch.
It would be really cool one day if Longines went out on a limb to build their very own modern in-house calibre movement, perhaps in an exclusive or limited release, I’m sure collectors would jump on it. For now, we are still stuck with their use of ETA movement, albeit usually heavily modified, such as the one in this watch which is the base ETA A31.L11, restructured and rebranded as the calibre L888.4. It’s a good solid and reliable COSC movement, but again, it’s predictable.
Final Words
While many were clamouring over the Flyback Spirit Pilot, the real gem of this new collection refresh, is in my opinion this three hand version. It’s sleeker and easier to wear on a daily basis, retains the excellent manufacturing quality that the Flyback version also has, and it comes at essentially half the price. The dial is also easier to read on quick glance, and it’s rather pleasing due to its simplicity, without leaving out important style aspects like the sword shaped minute and hour hands, and long slender seconds hand. I like the crown better, and its polished steel bezel. The cherry on-top is less moving parts, both inside and outside of the watch, making it feel ultra sturdy and just a notch above the rest in its tier of comparable watches.
Just as a fun note, the photos in this review were shot using my new Leica D-Lux 8 under a new Amaran 200X S lighting setup.
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