A special meeting, last 9 March in Milan, organised by Longines in collaboration with L'Orologio Club. A very special event due to the presence of Daniel Hug, Head of Brand Heritage at Longines, the person in charge of the brand's historical research and preservation. And who, in addition to the characteristics of the new watches, the Pilot Majetek and the Spirit Flyback chronograph, introduced the meeting with a phenomenal presentation of the brand's history, the path behind the development of the 2023 models and the link with our country.
The Pilot Majetek is an aviator's watch made in the 1930s for the Czechoslovak Army, which featured the novelty of a rotating bezel with a mobile, triangular luminous index positioned below the crystal. Its modern reinterpretation measures 43 mm, 3 more than the 'Tartarugone', as the first 1935 model was nicknamed by collectors because of its 40 mm width, which at the time made it one of the rare oversized models. The movement is the automatic L893.6 calibre with silicon balance spring and 72-hour power reserve, Cosc chronometer-certified.
In turn, the Spirit Flyback celebrates another Longines invention, the "flyback" of the chronograph hand. This function was created for aeronautical needs, i.e. to quickly time the different phases of flight in succession by pressing and releasing a single button, instead of having to perform the stop-start sequence. The patent, filed by Longines on 12 June 1935, was granted on 16 June 1936. The Spirit Flyback is also a child of the new millennium and introduces state-of-the-art mechanics. It is the automatic L791.4 calibre with a column wheel and silicon balance spring, resistant to magnetic fields, with a power reserve of 68 hours and Cosc chronometer certificate, visible on the back side.
The historical and technical introduction was followed by the 'touch and feel' of the new Pilot Majetek and Spirit Flyback models by the fifteen L'Orologio Club members selected for the occasion. Together with some still top-secret novelties.
Present at the event, in addition to Daniel Hug, were Dody Giussani, Director of L'Orologio, and Matteo Sovera, Brand Manager Longines.
