Longines’ Overhauled Flyback Chronograph Is the New Best-in-Class

Longines unlocked the full potential of its competitively priced flyback chronograph. The Swiss watchmaker didn’t just revamp the dial and add Pilot to the name, it gave the impressive but flawed design a complete overhaul, making it exponentially more wearable and nicer to look at.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

The Spirit Pilot Flyback has a slimmed-down case, now measuring 39.5mm across, 47.4mm lug-to-lug and, best of all, just 13.4mm thick. The new dimensions transformed the formerly unwieldy watch into something you will never want to take off your wrist.

The other half of the glow-up is the simplified dial. Longines’ divisive five-star flourish is gone, with only the brand logo — including the flying hourglass icon — situated at twelve o’clock, and three discrete lines of text at six o’clock.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Black and gilt is arguably the most universally appealing color scheme for a watch, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better example than this pilot-themed, bi-compax dial. Adding to the allure is a fully lumed bezel track, which caps off the overall exceptional legibility.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Of course, the heart of the watch, and the reason it was able to slim down so much, is the new caliber L792.4 hand-wound movement, built exclusively for Longines by its sister company, ETA. It has a silicone balance spring, a 68-hour power reserve, a column wheel and, as the name suggests, a flyback function.

Despite the downsizing, this is about as much watch as you can get for just over $5,000.

Longines

GP100 Winner

Longines Spirit Pilot Flyback

Specs

Case Size	39.5mm
Movement	Longines Cal. L792.4 manual-wind flyback chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

• $5,500 at Longines

GP100: Gear Patrol’s annual roundup of the most important releases collects key watches, cars, outdoor gear and more. Browse the full list or catch up on last year’s winners.

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