There’s a New Contender for the Best Everyday Watch on the Market

Longines has been quietly building its case (no pun intended) for the most impressive watch brand of 2025.

The Swiss watchmaker started the year with a fascinating tool watch, dropped a perfect daily dress watch, made the original GMT better than ever and that’s just scratching the surface.

Longines

The title is just about locked up with the simultaneous release of two new additions to the Spirit collection. One is likely the best mid-tier chronograph money can buy, and the other supplants an older Longines model as the best everyday watch on the market.

Full disclosure: We crowned the Conquest as the best everyday watch for its price in 2024, and Longines backed up our claim with some innovations this year. Now, the new Spirit Pilot is here to lay claim to the throne.

Longines

With a 38mm steel case, a clean time-only dial and a well-proven, highly respected movement, this simplified addition to the legendary pilot’s watch is suited for any occasion and complements any attire.

Notably, it is only available in one dial color — the signature black with gilt detailing of the Spirit collection — but it’s hard to imagine another variation that could look better.

Nothing but time

Like a good recipe, cutting a few ingredients can amplify the best parts of a strong watch design. All Longines did to the standard Spirit model was remove the date complication, five-star emblem and red seconds hand tip.

But those little tweaks resulted in a totally new watch with broader appeal.

Longines

To continue the food metaphor, Longines magnifies the beauty of the Spirit dial’s best parts by removing extra bits, like a chef creating a brilliant dish with three or four high-quality components.

Even though it debuted in 2020, the Spirit dial is a masterpiece of mid-century nostalgia. Applied numerals add depth, framed by a railroad minutes track with cutout diamonds at each hour, but everything inside of that is clean.

The classic winged hourglass Longines logo sits at 12 o’clock, and “Chronometer/Officially Certified” is printed at six o’clock. The hands are unchanged except for the uniform gilt color of the seconds hand.

Longines

As advertised, a chronometer-certified Longines caliber L888.4 automatic movement with a 72-hour power reserve ticks away beneath the dial. This movement is a variation of the one found in the Conquest and Legend Diver collections.

Oh, the difference a strap makes

While the Spirit Pilot’s dial focuses on perfecting a single design, the watch offers some variety with multiple strap options. In fact, with a universal dial like this, what you use to secure it to your wrist has a significant impact on its overall vibe.

Longines

The brown leather strap with white stitching amplifies the dial’s vintage appearance, evoking the look of a watch that could have been passed down from your grandfather. However, it does have a modern steel folding clasp complete with a quick-adjust mechanism.

Conversely, the Spirit Pilot’s rubber pin-buckle strap makes it look like a retro field watch, far more casual than the dressy leather option.

The steel three-link bracelet splits the difference and maximizes the dial’s broad appeal in appearance and functionality. I recommend it the most, but you can’t go wrong with the leather strap either.

Longines

My only complaints about the original Spirit dial are that it’s a little too busy and leans too heavily on the vintage pilot’s watch motif. The Spirit Pilot remedies both, producing a visually perfect dial and case with a well-proven movement.

What more could you ask for in a watch?

Availability and price

The Longines Spirit Pilot is available now from Longines for $2,700 on a rubber strap, $2,850 on a leather strap and $3,100 on a steel bracelet.

If I had to guess, I would say that more dial color options will become available either later this year or early next year.

Longines

Longines Spirit Pilot

Specs

Case Size	38mm
Movement	Longines caliber L888.4 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $2,850 at Longines

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