Longines Spirit Titanium Collection
The new Longines Spirit Titanium Collection 2021 builds upon the success of the brand’s steel models. The historic Maison has shunned Grade 2 titanium in favour of Grade 5 titanium, a lightweight alloy that is usually the preserve of far costlier watches.
Last year, I reported on the release of the Longines Spirit Collection, a range of three hand models as well as chronographs. At the time, I recall marvelling at the surprisingly impressive specification of each reference. I use the word ‘surprisingly’ as performance is usually commensurate with the price, however, it seemed nobody told Longines. Indeed, the Swiss brand repeatedly shows a knack for delivering an impressive quality-price ratio few firms are able to match.
For example, the Longines Spirit Chronograph features a COSC-certified movement, a silicon hairspring and, the purist’s favourite, a column wheel system, all attractively packaged for the modest sum of £2520 (RRP as at 7.9.2021). Quite simply, this model represents a lot of a watch for comparatively little. If you don’t have a need to measure elapsed periods of time, then the brand’s three-hander, the Longines Spirit, can be yours for a mere £1820.
The reason for Longines’ keen pricing can be attributed to one thing, a subject important to many economists, namely ‘economies of scale’. The Maison from Saint Imier belongs to the Swatch Group, ‘the World’s leading manufacturer of horological products’. This watchmaking behemoth is an exemplar of vertical integration, producing a multitude of components. Indeed, in the world of watchmaking, there is very little that the Swatch Group doesn’t make. It is the company’s vast scale that allows it to deliver remarkable value for money.
Now, the Swiss marque is back with another comparative bargain, the new Longines Spirit Titanium Collection 2021. Grade 2 titanium is often used on watches costing less than £5000, however, Grade 5 titanium is usually the preserve of costlier models. Longines has just released a number of three-hand models in the latter alloy with prices starting at just £2170 for the 40mm version supplied on an anthracite woven nylon strap (RRP as at 7.9.2021).
Grade 5 titanium, an alloy of titanium, aluminium and vanadium, is lightweight, corrosion-resistant, strong, capable of withstanding high temperatures, anti-magnetic and hypoallergenic. Its array of benefits make it ideal for watchmaking.
However, the problem with Grade 5 titanium is that it is expensive to process. While many steel watch cases are formed using a stamping process, stamping titanium presents many challenges. As a result, some companies elect to use CNC machines to mill Grade 5 titanium but this also proves expensive. For example, tools wear more quickly, machines have to operate at slower speeds to prevent excessive heat generation and, during the milling process, staff must be in attendance at all times owing to the heightened risk of fire. Put simply, it costs more to mill Grade 5 titanium than steel or even gold.
With the advent of the Longines Spirit Titanium Collection 2021, the historic watch company has democratised watches formed of Grade 5 titanium. Indeed, the notion of ‘economies of scale’ is alive and well in Saint Imier, much to the benefit of the company’s clientele.
The brand’s press release (September 2021)
The Longines Spirit collection has taken a new step forward with timepieces forged from titanium, in homage to the world of aviation where the collection originated. The combination of a strong, sleek aesthetic and state-of-the-art technology gives these new models exceptional character. Proof that the pioneering spirit is still, and always, alive and well at the winged hourglass brand.
The Longines Spirit is ushering in the Age of Titanium. Both lighter and more hard-wearing than steel, this alloy, which goes by the name of Grade 5 titanium (titanium-aluminium-vanadium), demonstrates just how true it is that strength is not just a matter of weight. Slightly darker than steel and more matt, it gives these new timepieces a contemporary look.
Aesthetically, the new models in the Longines Spirit collection are distinctive for the finesse of their execution: satin-polished finish on the case and bracelet, sandblasted anthracite dial and satin black flange.
As if to remind us that it is born of rock, the Longines Spirit plays on the contrasts between dark hues and a subtle gleam. The hands, numerals, stars and hourglass have subdued glints of mellow gold (1N), for a perfect balance of colours and materials – a balance enhanced by the absence of a date window, further accentuating the watch’s aeronautical symmetry.
The high precision of the Longines Spirit is ensured by an automatic movement with a silicon balance-spring, a material that is light, non-magnetic, hard-wearing, stainless and impervious to thermal expansion. All these characteristics enable the models in this collection to be classified as chronometers certified by the COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute), in a nod to the five stars stamped on the dial which, in the history of Longines, were synonymous with maximum quality and reliability. A 5-year warranty also proves the exceptional character of this line.
The new Longines Spirit is equipped with an interchangeable titanium bracelet and NATO-type nylon strap, the latter having been custom-developed using a special weaving technique that reprises the anthracite and black colours of the dial and offers unmatched comfort. And, of course, the wrist is also where the titanium Longines Spirit proves its worth. Lighter than its steel counterparts, there is however nothing self-effacing about it, and it has a resolutely light, sporty and stylish look.
In the dark, its hands and numerals display the almost celestial glow of “Blue Line” Super- Luminova®. Just one of many details celebrating the women and men who are in their element in the sky. The new Longines Spirit thus marks a timeless link between light and shadow, sky and earth, history and innovation.
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