Introducing: The Longines Spirit Pilot And Spirit Pilot Flyback In Blue (Live Pics)
What We Know Not all of the releases we cover are horological heavy hitters or groundbreaking mechanical inventions. Yes, plenty are, but sometimes a simple new dial color is worth talking about. And in the context of Longines' mighty newsworthy year, with several extremely well-received launches like the Hydroconquest and the Master Collection Monopushers already in the recent catalog, a new colorway for the Spirit Pilot and Pilot Flyback still feels worth discussing. The new time-only Spirit Pilot in blue.Image, courtesy Longines. The second iteration of these two watches, since its update last year, introduces a matte blue dial (and a glossy blue ceramic bezel insert on the chronograph). At a high level, that's kind of it. But with the change from a gilt-style look, swapping the golden accents of the applied numerals, chapter ring chamfer, and printing, this is the first time the latest generation of Spirit Pilot feels like a decidedly modern product. Yes, you lose a little bit of the vintage charm, but the new versions are not replacing those "gilt" editions, so now you have the same models in two very different aesthetic contexts. I won't spend too much time on specs because they remain unchanged—the time-only Spirit Pilot is 39mm by 11.5mm, with a lug-to-lug of 47.2mm, and the Flyback chronograph is 39.5mm by 13.4mm with a lug-to-lug of 47.4mm. The time-only model features the automatic L888.4 caliber, which is COSC-certified and offers a 72-hour power reserve with...