The fit and finish are superb
Longines always punches above its weight class when it comes to the quality of its watches, but the new Spirit Pilot Flyback feels particularly elevated. I previously reviewed the Blancpain Air Command, a similarly styled flyback chronograph from the Swatch Group that costs four times as much as this Longines. And while the Blancpain is obviously a nicer watch, that gap between it and the Longines doesn’t feel anywhere near that big.
The Spirit Pilot Flyback’s finishing is excellent all around. The brushing is even and beautiful, and all transitions between different areas of finishing are flawless to my eye. The watch looks and feels expensive, and while it technically is at $5,500, in the insane world of luxury watches, it’s almost comically affordable for what it is.
The bracelet is also quite nice, and feels a bit like a cross between the old and new Omega Speedmaster bracelets — it looks like the old bracelet but feels and acts more like the new one. It’s a three-link setup with large, rounded center links flanked by smaller links on either side, and all links are vertically brushed with polished chamfers where they meet. It’s toolish but fancy, suiting the vibe of the watch, and it feels great on the wrist.
It does have a male end link, but that didn’t affect the fit at all on my 6.5-inch wrist, as I found it draped nicely and also had a pleasing taper. The clasp is excellent, too, with a dual-trigger release, polished chamfers and an applied winged hourglass logo.
There’s also a toolless microadjustment system built into the clasp, which the old Spirit Flyback lacked. It only has three steps of travel, so I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more, but it feels so well-machined and is such a tactile joy to use that I found myself playing with it just for the fun of it.