First unveiled in 2020, the sporty and versatile Longines Spirit collection has quickly grown to become one of the brand’s most popular watch lines. Over the past two years, the Spirit series has introduced new sizes, materials, and complications in an effort to cement the series as a true go-anywhere, do-anything sporting option. For 2022, the brand takes its next step in this ongoing campaign, introducing a new collection of Spirit models in their most compact size to date. These new 37mm Longines Spirit models fit neatly into the current trend towards smaller case designs, while iterating upon the cleanly handsome pilot-inflected look that made the original Spirit such a success for the brand.
The cornerstone of these new Longines Spirit designs are their compact 37mm-wide stainless steel cases. The overall form should be familiar to fans of the brand, with its broad case side chamfer, oversized crown, and sharply defined tapering lugs, but the significantly reduced case diameter gives these returning elements a new character in images. This is a lighter, more tightly packaged design overall than its counterparts, and the smaller diameter should carry a significant impact on the wearability of the Spirit’s famously long lugs. These more compact dimensions also give the Spirit less of an all-dial look than its predecessors, allowing the case finishing to take a more prominent visual role in initial photos. Longines offers an intriguing blend of sharply defined finishes here, cleanly transitioning between radial brushing for the case and bezel top to mirror polishing for the broad continuous chamfers. Light horizontal brushing on the case sides rounds out the overall look and keeps this smaller case firmly in sports watch territory visually. Each of the 37mm Longines Spirit models is finished with a stylized caseback engraving of the Longines winged hourglass emblem and offers a solidly sporting 100 meters of water resistance.
Longines offers the new 37mm Spirit models with dial options in black, navy blue, and pale champagne gold. Each of the three follows the visual formula laid down by the original Spirit, with a handful of unique twists. All three share the same polished pointed baton handset, coupled to a set of light, airy applied Arabic numerals. Like the rest of the Spirit series, the 37mm models carry several handsomely nuanced visual touches, especially the notched cutouts in the outer raised chapter ring to accommodate the small diamond-shaped lume plots for each hour, which in turn are echoed by the tip of the seconds hand. The 37mm models’ largest departure from previous Spirit iterations, other than the obviously smaller, less open visual arrangement in images, is its use of a 6 o’clock date window. When compared to previous 3 o’clock date versions of the Spirit, these new models offer a more balanced feel, especially with the use of dial-matching date wheels for the black and blue dial models. Out of the three dial options, the black dial variant is by far the simplest and most familiar, with a lightly grained matte texture that smartly emphasizes the Spirit’s pilot watch lineage in images. The navy blue dial model offers a more dynamic look, with a heavily grained sunburst finish and a richly nuanced oceanic hue that strongly complements the vibrant red-tipped seconds hand. The new champagne gold dial option is by far the most distinctive of the group in images, with a smooth sunburst finish and a subdued hue that keeps the design from feeling overtly feminine.
Longines powers the new 37mm Spirit models with the exclusive ETA A31.L11-based Calibre L888.4 automatic movement. With COSC certified chronometer accuracy and a high-tech silicon balance spring, the Calibre L888.4 offers thoroughly modern and reliable performance. The Calibre L888.4’s power reserve stands at a hefty 72 hours, with a 25,200 bph beat rate. Longines offers the new 37mm Spirit with the choice of either a three-link oyster style bracelet in stainless steel with polished center link accent stripes, or an array of fully stitched leather straps in navy blue, deep mahogany brown, or muted taupe.
By condensing the brand’s fan-favorite sports watch design down to a versatile and compact new diameter, the new 37mm Longines Spirit series adds a captivating new facet to one of its fastest-growing product lines. The new 37mm Longines Spirit models are available now through authorized dealers. Starting MSRP for the 37mm Longines Spirit stands at $2,150 as of press time. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.
