Longines Spirit Flyback Chronograph Hands-On In-Depth Review

[@tvo6453]

Love what Longines has been putting out the last few years.

[@ChisholmHunterOfficial]

So do I!

[@SohilNaik]

I'm wearing the longines flyback titanium version today

[@Anonomus333]

So how is your impression on this? Please share it with us here!

[@steevkeyes]

Me too. After watching this review (and some others), I drove over to my Longines AD and bought the flyback titanium. I also added the Longines leather strap with its innovative automatic micro adjustment feature. Together the watch and strap is great. The watch wears like most 42 mm watches, without the 17 mm thickness being pronounced. I think the thickness is not so apparent because the lugs sit much closer to the wrist. I enjoy the unidirectional rotor, as I occasionally experience the watch wobbling - declaring itself as being an old fashion automatic. Yay

[@ahha6304]

Harrison enjoy saying *THICC* is something I've never thought I'd seen

[@andywilliams4887]

It's an attractive dial, but the thickness and weight is a complete non-starter for me.

[@EddieTheEagle01]

As i have a 7.5in wrist, this watch would be perfect for me. Loving pretty much everything Longines are doing.

[@erkanvural3621]

this is longines' best ever made watch

[@miracleman.]

Agreed

[@AdityaKhorana]

Really want to see the titanium model

[@marksuchomelsr6698]

Watch check! Longines 42 mm Spirit Zulu Time Anthracite and green.

[@johnnyg419]

That is a beautiful watch, love Longines. Love my 43 black dial Hydro Conquest! 💪🏽❤️🤙🏽

[@MrMroliversmith]

Wearing my Longines Hydroconquest Chrono. Also a Big Boy, these watches have serious presence

[@nedflanders3769]

Congratulations on 40k subs! I love Longines and have the spirit zulu time GMT with green and anthracite. This is a great looking watch but just too damn thick! I had a Tudor BB Chrono and sold it because it was too thick. And I have an 8.3 inch wrist!😮😊

[@stu632]

Hey Harrison, good review. Longines are a great brand, I have too many and put on the first big eye to watch the review 😂I agree that Nato's or bracelets are best on a sports watch, but nothing wrong with a leather on them every now and again 👍 I love the indentations on the bezel and also the polished edges on the clasp, I won't notice any tiny scratches. Yes to more colour options. Longines give you a lot for your money🙏

[@Ufo-li9vx]

Hello,today on my wrist is the Iceblue Tissot Powermatic 80.Great Vid

[@ChisholmHunterOfficial]

Good choice!

[@LAM_AUT_ECU]

Hi Harrison, I'm wearing a Longines Master Collection Master Collection Moonphase Chornograph

[@ChisholmHunterOfficial]

Epic!

[@toms8517]

For the price point Longines have been killing it movement wise. First the Ultea-Chron, next the GMT’s and now this flyback chronograph. I’m in a retro mood and on the wrist today I have a Casio Databank.

[@maxjensen]

Wearing the new Longines Conquest (2023) with the blue dial. Got it thanks to your review. So, thanks :)

[@LTV249]

Your welcome 😊

[@amcluesent]

17mm! I'll be keeping my Breguet Type XX 3800 Aeronaval fly-back!

[@davefox8948]

You missed some important aspects. Is the watch truly accurate? Is the bracelet screwed together or did they just use push pins? Is the display back sapphire as well?

[@brejaimecastillo8851]

My father always weighed profucts before he boaught them. He was always convinced that heavy priduct represented quality

[@mickeynissan9887]

Are you implying that buying through your website will get me 3 extra grams of watch?

[@prestonlund2965]

I'm wearing a oris big crown pointer date- limited Holstein edition 403 calibre 😅

[@antonhallergren588]

Like the bp air command but not extremely overpriced and it actually has a reasonable water resistance.

[@michaeljordan6008]

Longines isn’t allowed in the same conversation as BP.

[@antonhallergren588]

@@michaeljordan6008 dude Longines delivers more as a brand rn than bp. Sure bp is a lot nicer of a brand but you can't say spirit flyback isn't scarily close to the air command with more water resistance in what it is for 1/6th of the price.

[@mellow-jello]

The watch script about watch thickness only applies pre-lock down, when men dressed more formal at the office, and donning a dress shirt daily. Now that we dress casual, no need to worry about under-the-cuff.

[@cecaju9516]

Thickness is a also a concern if you worry about bashing it into every doorknob you pass by.

[@buddyp.8397]

What’s the lug to lug? How much of the height is due to the crystal?

[@jamesblonde2271]

I've got a Polimaster Combat watch/Gieger detector from the Soviet Union and its one ml thicker, and almost unwearable but for the tiny lug to lug, which this doesnt have......very cool movement but you'd have to be mad to buy this unless you already have a PRX Chrono.......

[@antonior.8273]

Can the stainless steel strap can be use on the Zulu?

[@markandlynneshapiro4027]

I’m wearing a Breguet Type XXI 3810ST Flyback

[@michaelbradley6488]

Bezel looks great to me.

[@AnthonyMartinez]

Aside from the extreme thickness, the overall mass is just ridiculous. I too sport a 6.5” wrist, and despite frequently carrying my 25lb son around hanging off my left arm I found this uncomfortably heavy. From a more practical standpoint this much heft out on my wrist is a non-starter as a pilot watch where I feel flyback chronographs are most useful if you have an interest in pilotage. On a yoke controlled aircraft it’s so heavy you would have to rerig to counteract a left rolling tendency once the arm is too fatigued to continue straight and level flight!* *hyperbole

[@TheDude9889]

Today I have a polar Vantage m2 it is a sport watch and I am going to the gym soon

[@johnnyg419]

Today I’m wearing my STEELDIVE 1953. It’s a homage to the Sub Date Rolex. More like a really cheap ripoff of it, but it cost a $100 and works great. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤙🏽

[@Sirkelsag666]

Not too many chronographs under 15 mm though

[@jamied931]

There are so many what are you talking about

[@Sirkelsag666]

@@jamied931 I have not seen many

[@Horizontalvertigo]

@@Sirkelsag666 Modern, high end auto chronos tend to top out at 14mm I've found, lower end stuff can go above.

[@pacisking]

@@jamied931 not many automatic flyback chronographs tho.. one of the more famous one is the Glashütte Seaq which is also 17mm.. the A. Lange & Söhne triple split is 16mm. People don't realize how complicated a automaic flyback chronograph is. Sure it's not for everyone and for smaller wrists it looks probably a little bit weird but that's just a given with those complications.

[@evgeniyvodenicharov1281]

How old are you pall?

[@miracleman.]

What a beauty

[@peterspatz6918]

Interesting that thickness of a Seamaster PO with 43 seems not a problem ( at least in a fraction debated compared to the Internet-meme like complain about this watch).

[@Chris-pn9yf]

I’ve recently purchased the latest hesilite omega speedmaster and that is a fantastic watch with a lug to lug at 47mm and a thickness of only 13.5mm

[@unnamedhero5111]

now imagine that Daytona thickness is only 12mm.

[@nikc1313]

Can't imagine putting a 17mm thick watch on a NATO! You'd be over 20mm.

[@arillos5939]

Put mine on a crown and buckle noir gilt and I love it.

[@auxillery8998]

I have the titanium version, it wears like a 15mm which is great. I agree about those little markers on the bezel I'm not enthused by them TBH. People moaning about the price, well the Tag Heuer version only comes on a strap and is £2500 more. The Omega nearest model is double the cost. The Hanhart is manual wind and a very dated looking watch and the one that the daytona used it's movement the name escapes me? (Zenith) Isn't a good looking watch IMO. This is fantastic value for money in the titanium grade 5.

[@brynroberts9880]

I'm wearing Yema Superman Heritage L/E black

[@3076gds]

Wearing a Fortis B-42 Cosmonaut

[@seanhickling7340]

I really cannot understand why you'd put it on a nato! Bracelet or leather.

[@pedromanuellopez142]

To substantiate the movement? Shouldn't it be the other way around, "the size of the movement substantiates the size of the case".

[@googleuser7632]

I'm wearing the red Simpsons swatch for Christmas Lol.

[@johnmonachelli5256]

Aesthetically it's the best looking chronograph on the market imo unfortunately it's simply to big in all directions

I own this watch and whilst I agree it's thick it's not as bad as it sounds on paper. 3mm at least is taken up in the beautiful domed bezel/crystal which isn't noticeable on the wrist. the base also sinks down into the wrist but a large wrist is also necessary TBH.

[@zachg9065]

Just FYI it is pronounced “Longine” without the S. I’m wearing my daily Omega Speedmaster racing 40mm

[@Goose619]

I wonder how many people stopped watching when you mentioned the thickness? lol I know I did

[@manuzach]

I say the hanhart fly back at half the price is more attractive

[@Studat]

Love it but looks way too big on your wrist...

[@Mr-Nose-It-All]

Tag formula 1 calibre 5

[@ahmedhishamdr8485]

Not a big fan of Longines brand, I would prefer an Omega even at a higher price!

[@davidcontrerasm]

I wish they removed the “Chronograph” and “Automatic” from the watch face… it feels just too busy.

[@johnt2694]

It’s a nice looking watch, but the thickness is a deal breaker.

[@Horizontalvertigo]

For half the price you can get a Hanhart 417 ES Flyback Chrono in a more wearable 39mm, and sure it isn't automatic or a chronometer, but it's also only 13.3mm tall. If you want an automatic, then you can just get the non-flyback in the same dimensions. Maybe the truly retro looks aren't for you, but for me they absolutely slap. And yeah, Longines has history, but this particular model doesn't really, whereas the 417 ES is basically a recreation of a '54 watch issued to the West German airforce, and Steve McQueen wore a very similar Hanhart too, so I reckon it wins there as well. In short, Hanhart's are seriously undervalued, and I reckon the 417 ES Flyback is the better buy. (Wearing the gold 35mm PRX auto on my wrist.)

[@planettudor]

The thickness is a turnoff for me

[@thequintanashow5058]

Beautiful watch but those lugs protrude out for days. Pass.

[@affegorilla1299]

To thick

[@nedflanders3769]

That’s what SHE said! 😅

[@admiralcraddock464]

Far to big even for my 8" wrist

[@markotoole7937]

17mm thickness is laughable. Who the heck wears a watch that thick.

[@cheungtingfung5407]

I’ve tried it on in a couple of stores and ordered it on the bracelet in blue. The 17mm thickness isn’t an issue on my wrist and it sinks into the wrist bone and the domed crystal and bezel take it to the 17mm in the centre of the crystal not right across it. It wears like a 13mm on my 8″ wrist.

[@taaaaaaaazzzzzz]

It’s not laughable. If you want a flyback chrono, you’ll have to live with thicker watches. That’s the downside to the complication in general.

[@markotoole7937]

@@taaaaaaaazzzzzz It's completely laughable. Zenith Pilot Flyback Chrono is 14mm.

[@taaaaaaaazzzzzz]

@@markotoole7937 that’s a completely different price class with it costing about twice as much as the Longines. the glashütte sea q flyback is 17mm as well. The navitimer rattrapante is 15,8 I think. I personally don’t like watches that thick either, but it’s not that uncommon for flyback chronos. The iwc big pilot is also somewhere between 15,5 and 16 if I remember right and it doesn’t even have a chrono. I wouldn’t wear any of them, but there is definitely a market for it.

[@markotoole7937]

@@taaaaaaaazzzzzz Yes I agree with what you're saying, flybacks are certainly thicker, but any watch that is 17mm is just too thick to look ok on anyone's wrist, in my opinion.

[@googleuser7632]

Damn. There's no way I'd pay £5K for this. That's GS money!! Nope nope nope.

[@pacisking]

Good luck finding a GS flyback Chronograph for 5k. You have no idea how great value that is.