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[ The WATCH ]
True Spirit Longines draws on its deep well of experience to celebrate the heroic feats of early-19th century explorers and pioneers. The result is an extraordinary collection with a strong contemporary appeal by Diego Tamone
Launched in 2020, duirng the current year the Spirit collection has been joined by new models with a green dial, available with a 40 or 42 mm case and leather strap or bracelet. Opposite page, a detail of the microbillé-finish case
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[ The WATCH ]
I
mbuing an object like a watch with an intense emotional charge is a difficult task. Success can’t be taken for granted, and doesn’t rely exclusively on the input of human technical or stylistic skills - it depends on the backing of a significant historical element whose content
can inspire an emotional involvement that would otherwise be impossible to generate.
A glorious heritage, in fact, like the one Longines has built for itself since the early 20th century, lending its valuable support to pioneers and explorers in search of the unknown. In this way a simple but for its time advanced measuring instrument was often the only technical help capable of shifting the needle of fate between success and failure – which, for an adventurer, can mean the difference between survival and death. The brand has condensed this history into a collection that reinterprets the spirit of those times with a contemporary approach, drawing on vintage stylistic features and colours in line with the aesthetic tastes of the period and combining them with advanced materials and mechanics. This describes the essence of the new Spirit watches, enhanced for the occasion with a green microbillé finish dial, the only decorative concession in a substantial package powered by a COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certified automatic mechanical movement with silicon balance spring.
www.longines.com
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Detailed sketches show the preparatory stages in the development of the Spirit collection, featuring large numerical markers that seem to leap out from the dial. Opposite page, a threequarter view and the back of the new model from Longines
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