Longines Spirit Pilot Flyback Chronograph COSC mechanical manual windingblack dial steel bracelet 39,5 mm

Longines’ Aviation Heritage, Pioneer of the Flyback

For more than a century, Longines has been a key player in aviation watchmaking. Its cockpit instruments and wristwatches have accompanied aviation pioneers in their feats: transatlantic crossings, speed and altitude records, and scientific expeditions.
Over the decades, the brand has built a solid reputation as a watchmaker capable of producing robust, precise, and reliable tool watches, suited for the most demanding conditions.

Although the legendary Caliber 13ZN, launched in 1936, is often cited as the first wristwatch chronograph with a Flyback function, recent research has shown that Longines had already experimented with this mechanism as early as the late 1920s.
Some watches equipped with the Caliber 13.33Z (introduced in 1913 as one of the very first wristwatch chronographs) indeed featured the Flyback function several years before the official patent was filed.

Longines filed the Swiss patent for the Flyback mechanism on June 12, 1935, which was registered as Patent No. 183262 on March 31, 1936.
Remarkably, certain timepieces fitted with the 13.33Z predated this filing by about six years, granting Longines the distinction of being the first watchmaker to produce a Flyback wristwatch chronograph.

The Spirit collection, launched in 2020, pays tribute to this pioneering spirit by combining aesthetics inspired by cockpit instruments with contemporary technologies.
In 2025, Longines continues this legacy with the new generation of the Spirit Pilot Flyback, bringing together a compact and ergonomic design, purposeful instrument-like styling, and state-of-the-art technical performance.

The main evolutions of this new line include:

• A 39.5 mm stainless steel case with a slimmer profile (13.4 mm thick), delivering optimal comfort for daily wear as well as professional use.
• A matte black dial, clean and highly legible, with applied Arabic numerals and gilt hands coated with Super-LumiNova®, ensuring perfect readability in all conditions.
• A bidirectional rotating bezel with a black ceramic insert and a countdown scale, enhancing the model’s utilitarian character.
• A robust construction with a box-shaped sapphire crystal featuring double-sided anti-reflective coating, a screw-down transparent caseback, and water resistance to 10 bar (100 m).

One of the most notable changes is the removal of the five gilt stars that appeared on earlier Spirit models.
Historically, these stars symbolized Longines’ internal quality standard; their disappearance marks a return to a more restrained, tool-oriented aesthetic, true to the original purpose of a pilot’s watch.
This clean design, combined with the matte black dial and gilt, Super-LumiNova®-coated hands and numerals, reinforces the watch’s functional, instrument-like character, in line with the spirit of historic aviation cockpits.

The Spirit Pilot Flyback 2025 thus continues the lineage that shaped aviation watchmaking: from the early Flyback-equipped 13.33Z chronographs to the legendary 13ZN, and onward to the contemporary calibers that uphold this expertise.

Functional Clarity with a Cockpit-Inspired Spirit

Designed as a modern pilot’s instrument, the Spirit Pilot Flyback L3.721.4.53.6 impresses with its 39.5 mm stainless steel case, featuring compact, harmonious lines. Its restrained 13.4 mm thickness ensures excellent comfort for everyday wear without compromising its strong wrist presence.

The matte black dial embodies the functional spirit of the Spirit collection. Now free of the five gilt stars seen on earlier generations, it adopts a more streamlined and utilitarian look, staying true to the heritage of cockpit timepieces.
The applied Arabic numerals and gilt hands, coated with Super-LumiNova®, deliver high contrast and superb legibility both by day and at night.

The watch is equipped with a bidirectional rotating bezel featuring a black ceramic insert with a countdown scale — a practical tool for timing intervals.
The box-shaped sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective coating and the screw-down transparent caseback reflect the meticulous craftsmanship and allow a clear view of the L792.4 movement.
Water-resistant to 10 bar (100 m), this model is ready for all-round use.

Its stainless steel bracelet, fitted with a double-safety folding clasp and micro-adjustment, completes the watch’s robust and contemporary look, while the quick-release system makes it easy to swap straps for different styles.

A Modern, Precise, and Enduring Flyback Chronograph

At the heart of the Spirit Pilot Flyback 2025 beats the exclusive Longines Caliber L792.4, designed to deliver precision, durability, and user comfort.
Developed specifically for this collection, this modern self-winding chronograph movement showcases Longines’ technical expertise and meets the demands of true aviation-instrument watches.

• Column wheel: ensures crisp, smooth, and precise operation of the chronograph, providing a satisfying feel with each pusher action.
• Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz): guarantees a stable and consistent measurement of elapsed time, enhancing the chronograph’s precision and overall reliability.
• Integrated Flyback function: allows the chronograph to be reset and restarted with a single press, enabling quick, seamless timing of successive intervals.
• Silicon balance spring: provides increased resistance to magnetic fields (ISO 764 compliant) and stable performance against temperature variations, while improving long-term durability.
  This advanced technology also allows Longines to offer an extended 5-year warranty on the watch.
• 68-hour power reserve: offers generous autonomy, allowing the watch to run comfortably through a weekend without resetting.
• COSC chronometer certification: attests to rigorous precision standards (−4/+6 seconds per day), in line with professional instrument-grade timepieces.

Visible through the screw-down transparent caseback, the L792.4 reveals refined finishing and its distinctive column wheel — a hallmark of traditional, high-quality chronograph watchmaking.

This movement stands as a top-tier Flyback chronograph, combining certified accuracy, long-term reliability, and exceptional ease of use, remaining true to the heritage of Longines pilot’s watches.