Ninety Years Ago Today, Longines Changed the Chronograph

by Brent Robillard Ubiquity breeds familiarity The most successful watchmaking inventions often become so commonplace that we forget they were inventions at all. The rotating dive bezel. The GMT hand. The automatic winding rotor… The flyback chronograph falls squarely into that category. Today, if you spend enough time around pilot’s watches or military chronographs, you’ll eventually encounter the term. Most enthusiasts know what a flyback … Continue reading Ninety Years Ago Today, Longines Changed the Chronograph

The Best Watches of 2025 Under 10K

By Brent Robillard Lists can help bring order to chaos I write this article with a number of caveats. The first is that I wish only to include watches I have handled myself. I do not think it is authentic to rave about timepieces I have no experience with. The Grand Seiko Spring Drive UFA – SLGB001/003 may well have made my list; the Calibre … Continue reading The Best Watches of 2025 Under 10K

Hands-On with the New Longines Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback

by Brent Robillard First in Flight When I saw Longines’ 2025 novelties earlier this year in New York, two pieces stood out immediately—the new Spirit Pilot and the Spirit Pilot Flyback. That’s no small statement in a year that also gave us a white-dial Legend Diver and the evocative Spirit Zulu Time 1925 (which I now own). But if the Zulu Time carried forward Longines’ … Continue reading Hands-On with the New Longines Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback