After attending Longines’ official 2020 launch announcement back in February I had the chance to take a look at the new Spirit Collection, which turned out to be three really beautiful heritage aviation style pieces. I was able to handle the watches briefly, wear them on the wrist and take a few pics, but the Spirit collection was under embargo. So I wasn’t able to give any details about this collection on the WRB, until now that is.
If you like classy heritage watches with a touch of sportiness and a unique design then chances are you will like the Spirit collection. The collection presents itself with two distinct models, one being a simple time and date watch, and the other a chronograph, with both watches sharing a similar case silhouette.
As someone who gravitates towards simplicity my personal favourite is the time and date model ref l3-810-4-53-0 with black dial. It’s also available in a silver dial version.
This is a truly beautiful piece with a clever design philosophy and influence taken from some of Longines’ now vintage watches. The well thought out dial has a perfectly placed date wheel at the 3’oclock position, the background of the date wheel matches the black dial, which some brands have been missing but not Longines.
Almost everything on the dial is applied, including the 5 stars displayed near the bottom of the dial at 6’oclock. The lugs and case shape are elegant with an almost Oyster Perpetual kind of shape. The silver lumed sword hands against the black dial make the watch extremely legible, and the touch of red on the sweeping seconds hand reminds you that this is a Swiss watch. The oversized screw-down crown is the cherry on top for this specific reference, it just doesn’t get more trendy retro than that. All of this powered by a modified ETA movement with a whopping 64 hours of power reserve and you cant go wrong.
The ref l3-820-4-93-0 is the chronograph in the Spirit collection coming in with a 42mm case size. This watch is boasting an array of functions, giving off a busy dial look.
This could have been alleviated by removing the date wheel, which has been squeezed in between the 4’oclock and 5’oclock position. I know some watch collectors who cant live without the date complication, so this chronograph might just be the model for them. For me personally I would prefer a cleaner look on a Chronograph, one that would emphasize the importance of the subdials, allowing you to zone in and concentrate on the stopwatch functionality.
The Spirit Collection is a refreshing new offering coming from Longines, and considering the uncertainties and unrest we are experiencing in 2020 a very welcomed sight. With many brands yet to release new models for 2020 Longines is ahead of the game once again.
For details, specs, and prices head over to the official Longines website here.
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