The new Spirit watch harkens back to Longines' early days as a chronograph innovator
Did you know that Longines filed for a patent for its flyback mechanism in 1935? Its 13ZN calibre was granted the patent in 1936, a world's first. The movement was the heartbeat of its first serial chronograph with a flyback function, a model famously worn by American aviator Richard Byrd as he piloted a plane over South Pole in 1929.
In fact, Longines produced one of the first wristwatch chronographs with a flyback function as early as 1925.
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But what makes the flyback so special? It's an additional function of the chronograph that instantly resets the seconds hand to zero with a single push. A conventional chronograph requires one to stop the chronograph before it can be reset.
With such an enviable history, it makes perfect sense that Longines pays it tribute with the new Spirit chronograph—only this time, with a contemporary version of the flyback complication.
The Spirit Flyback is powered the exclusive self-winding COSC-certified L791.4 calibre with silicon balance spring and a power reserve of 68 hours. The silicon balance spring shields the watch from the effects of magnetism, vastly improving its timekeeping precision.
