Amelia Earhart would be the first woman aviator to fly solo over the Atlantic. The explorer Paul-Emile Victor organized polar expeditions. The pioneering aviator Elinor Smith was a test and endurance pilot and Howard Hughes was an award-winning pilot who set a record for flying around the world. They all had at least one thing in common, their Longines time instruments. As they conquered the air, land and sea they put their trust in the Swiss watchmaking house for their incredible journeys. Today, the new Longines Spirit collection is designed in the same manner as the timepieces of these celebrated pioneers. All of the models from the Longines Spirit collection —which will be available in the autumn —are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology resulting in the highly accurate movements that are all Chronometer-certified.

Reliability, accuracy, robustness and original technology are the hall marks of Longines watches and devices. They have accompanied explorers on their journeys to unknown lands, boldly going where no watch has ever gone to before. They have defied extreme weather, navigated the wilds of the oceans and played their own role in opening up new aire routes and establishing aviation records. The Longines Spirit collection links history with innovation and the new models take traditional features from pilot’s watches and combine them with contemporary lines. The oversized crown, the font of the dial and the large luminous hands are all elements drawn from the golden years of pioneering aviation.

The range has been outfitted exclusively with in-house self-winding movements, the L888.4 and the L688.4, and with silicon hairsprings to guarantee extreme accuracy and increased longevity. They have been chronometer-certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). These watches are streamlined and have a very vintage look.

Watches for pilots are a specialty of the house that timed Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight over the Atlantic in 1927, the first ever non-stop solo transatlantic flight. Shortly thereafter the aviator contacted the house to develop a watch designed to meet his aviator needs. Longines and Lindbergh would design together the Longines Hour Angle watch.
© The Gourmet Gazette
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